


Part I: Beginnings

by JumpingBeans



Series: Behind Blue Eyes [2]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, One Piece
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fandom Fusion, Gen, Humor, M/M, Not a Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-04
Updated: 2014-09-04
Packaged: 2018-02-16 02:58:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2253369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JumpingBeans/pseuds/JumpingBeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every story must have a beginning, and this is it. The tale of how Ace ended up on Whitebeard's Ship.</p><p>*Edited 7 May 2015</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If Dreams Were The Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set immediately after The Prologue.

.

**1st Year, 4 NOV**

.

Kagome opened her eyes and stared blankly at the dark ceiling.

A moment or so of silence passed before she finally sat up. Though she appeared to be calm, she was anything but. Her heart was thundering in her chest and every few seconds, a tremor would wrack through her sweat-soaked frame.

After a minute of deep, calming breaths, Kagome brought her hand to her face and rubbed her eyes tiredly. A drawn-out sigh escaped her lips as that same hand then trailed down to the sword placed reverently by her bedside.

Her fingers traced over the familiar hilt tenderly and she let out another sigh.

 _As far as nightmares went_ , she thought wryly,  _this one wasn't_ that _bad_.

In the past, there had been countless times where the raven-haired girl had woken up screaming or crying hysterically, depending on exactly what the nightmare showed. And the scariest thing about her nightmares was that they were more than just nonsense cooked up by her subconscious mind.

They were memories.

Indeed, her nightmares were always memories of a time not so long ago, around the time when she was still relatively a stranger to Whitebeard and his men, when she was still part of another's crew, when she was still guiltless, when she was still happy, when  _he_  was still…

Her eyes grew misty.

Thinking about  _him_  hurt.

It hurt a lot. Like someone was literally carving out her heart with a rusted spoon.

Still, despite that, Kagome didn't want to forget  _him_. Ever. And so, she willingly endured the pain she felt whenever she thought of  _him_. She thought of  _him_. Oh, how she thought of  _him_. Every waking and un-waking second, she would think of  _him_.

She remembered how tall  _he_  was, how  _his_  form towered over her own. She remembered the exact length of  _his_  long silver hair, how soft it was in her hands. She remembered how gold  _his_  eyes were, how piercing they got whenever  _he_  was full of emotion. She remembered how deep  _his_  voice was, how her insides seemed to melt whenever her name spilled from  _his_  lips. She remembered how  _his_  laugh sounded like, how she would turn inexplicably happy whenever she saw  _him_  happy. She remembered how big  _his_  hands were, and how every part of  _his_  body seemed to radiate warmth.

Yes, Kagome remembered everything.

She would remember until the day she died, however far or near in the future that may be. It was the duty she had to carry. Her penance of sorts.

Because it was her fault  _he_  was dead. If it were not for her anger, her stupidity, her recklessness and most importantly, her godforsaken arrogance, she knew without a doubt that  _he_  would still be alive today.

So, no matter how much it hurt her, she wouldn't ever forget  _him_. She owed it to  _him_  to remember.

With another deep breath, Kagome ran her hand through her hair once more. She noted with wry amusement that her trembling had finally ceased. That was good. In the past, it would have taken her as long as the whole night for the shaking to fade. And once she had a nightmare, she couldn't go back to sleep. She could spend hours tossing and turning in bed without any success of falling back into slumber.

So instead of wasting time doing that, she would always spend her time up on the deck of the Moby Dick, simply content to stare at the dark horizon and the stars in the night sky until the sun came up.

But, that was all before…

A startled gasp in the air snapped her out of her thoughts. Her eyes flickered to the other side of the room where the noise had come from, or more specifically, to the person lying on the bed situated there.

It seemed that her roommate had been lost in nightmares of his own as well.

Without wasting any time, Kagome threw back her blankets and got out of bed. She silently crossed the room and when she reached his bedside, she slowly climbed in to lie down beside him. After a moment, an arm slipped around her waist and she felt herself being pulled closer.

She wrapped her own arms around him and she felt him press his lips to the top of her head in a chaste kiss.

Once satisfied that her body was as close to his as possible, Kagome finally laid her head on his chest. She sighed in contentment at the warmth his body emitted and snuggled closer, inwardly pleased when she heard the gradual slowing of his heartbeat.

"Thank you, yoi," Marco said softly as he trailed his hand down her cheek to her waist, finally coming to a stop when he clasped her hand in his.

Without saying anything, Kagome let out a deep exhale. She didn't need to say anything, for he knew almost immediately that her gesture meant, ' _You're welcome_ '. Out of everyone in the whole of Whitebeard's crew, Marco knew her best.

Just as she knew him best. Kagome closed her eyes.

Her nightmares were a common occurrence, as were his own, along with the nights spent in each other's beds in order to comfort each other. So really, it wasn't surprising how well they knew the other or how close the two of them were, considering they often saw each other at their weakest.

"…Don't let go," Kagome finally whispered and tightened her hold on him.

Marco's chest rumbled as he made a quiet sound of acknowledgement in reply. He gently stroked the pad of his thumb on her hand that was held with his while her free hand rubbed soothing circles on his back. Their breathing gradually evened out and together they fell back into slumber once more.

Only this time, the nightmares did not come.

.


	2. No One Is Without Their Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most people couldn't understand how he had such a close bond with Kagome. They believed that the two were as different as night and day and Marco's age difference with hers certainly didn't help matters. But, what people didn't know was that Marco and Kagome were similar in a way that no one else was.
> 
> They were both broken.

.

**1st Year, 5 NOV**

.

When Kagome awoke the next morning, the first thing that she was aware of was the warmth.

A lazy smile slowly formed on her lips and she sighed contentedly, smuggling against the source of that warmth and letting it flood her senses. She could hear another set of breathing along with her own, and a large part of her was glad that Marco had stayed with her like he promised. Thanks to his presence, she had been free of nightmares for the rest of the night, and she was sure that he had been as well.

Kagome opened her eyes and propped her head up to gaze down at the man still slumbering in her arms. A tender look crossed her face as she brushed away the hair obscuring his face and for the longest time, she was just content to watch him sleep.

Marco looked really peaceful, just sleeping there like that.

In fact, Kagome had never seen him look like that anywhere but in sleep before. Except…

Her smile slowly faded from her face.

Wait. She was wrong. Kagome had seen him like that before. It was when she was 16; around the time she had first joined Whitebeard and his sons. Marco at the time had smiled a lot more and laughed a lot more – he had been happy.

But… soon after she turned 17, Marco stopped being happy anymore. Because…

' _Don't think about that,_ ' Kagome reminded herself, ' _Just… don't.'_

Her eyes roamed around the room in an effort to distract herself from thinking about those dark times, and paused once they landed on the clock hanging on the wall. Kagome let out a soft sigh when she took note of the time.

It was a quarter to ten in the morning.

She had lookout duty in 15 minutes. Kagome slowly disentangled herself from Marco, and once her limbs and body was free, she crawled to the edge of the bed, all the while careful not to wake him up. But, as she started to rise, a hand shot up and seized her wrist gently. Kagome turned to look at her roommate, who was gazing at her calmly. His half-lidded eyes were still drowsy with sleep.

"Where are you going, yoi?" he questioned her softly.

Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Lookout. I've got the ten to one shift today, remember?"

He hadn't.

"No Marco, I'm not going to ask someone to sub for me. I volunteered so it's my responsibility okay?" she added once she saw him open his mouth to speak. The phoenix closed his mouth before breaking out into a small smile.

Sometimes, he was sure that Kagome could read his mind.

"Now, would you mind letting go? My shift's starting in..." She glanced quickly at the clock, "...10 minutes and I need to get dressed." Her lips were quirked with amused exasperation.

Marco looked into her sea-blue eyes for a moment longer before he finally let go of her wrist. Kagome then resumed her task of getting out of bed, but she ended up pausing and before Marco could wonder at her behaviour, she leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss tenderly against his forehead.

Once she pulled back, she got out of bed without further delay.

The phoenix continued to laze about in bed as the woman undressed and donned her usual attire. His gaze would often switch between staring at her back to staring at her right side. He never looked away.

"You know, most girls would find this amount of staring uncomfortable," Kagome commented idly, in the middle of lacing up her boots.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not like most girls then," Marco replied. "Because most girls would put on their shirts  _before_  they put on their shoes, yoi."

Kagome laughed. "True."

When she was finished getting dressed, she grabbed her sword and headed for the door.

"I'll see you later at the mess hall for lunch okay?" she asked once she was at the doorway.

"Ah," he nodded, and watched with a certain fondness as a true smile lit up on her face before she turned to leave. That fondness continued to stay in his heart long after she had left their room, and Marco estimated that the feeling would remain there for quite some time.

Although the sight of Kagome smiling was nothing out of the ordinary, for her smile to be real however – now that was rare.

That girl had a tendency to smile even when she wasn't happy.

But, putting fake smiles aside, whenever Kagome did smile genuinely, there was something about her smile that would make people pause and wonder for a moment what it was. However, they would just shrug it off the very next second and blame it on being too imaginative.

They were wrong. There was something.

Only those who truly knew Kagome could see the hint of sadness in her smiles.

Marco of course could see the sadness, as could Whitebeard and maybe even the other commanders to a certain extent.

But, it was only Whitebeard and Marco who understood - who knew about her past. Not completely though. No. Never completely. Close as the two of them were, he knew Kagome never told him  _everything_  about herself _._ (Just as he never told her  _everything._ )

They understood that sometimes, there were certain secrets you never wanted to tell anybody. Even to those you trusted above any other.

And both Kagome and Marco definitely had a bond like no other. It was only Marco who could accurately tell when her smile was real or when it was fake. It was only he and he alone who understood that Kagome's biggest fear was letting anyone get too close – and he honestly couldn't blame her for it.

He himself had over a thousand brothers in his family, and though he undeniably loved each and every one of them, he never let them get  _too_  close to his heart. (Decades of love and loss had made him learn to keep his distance like that. Marco was raw and exhausted. World-weary. He was stripped down to his very soul. There were some days where he just wanted to sleep and never wake up. If it weren't for the nature of his Devil Fruit, he thinks he would have died a long time ago…)

Kagome and Marco had a bond that was forged through pain, suffering and heartbreak. They knew what it was like when you lost someone that you loved with your entire  _being_. The pain from that was, to put it mildly, nothing short of unbearable.

Marco's heart gave a painful tug as he remembered long ebony hair that felt like silk running between his fingers, warm hands that were calloused from the constant handling of a sword, gentle dark eyes that could turn as hard as steel in the next second, and full lips that felt  _so right_  pressed against his own. Those same lips murmuring his name in the throes of passion countless times in the past, but never would again.

Marco slung an arm over his eyes and a bitter chuckle escaped his lips. The fondness he had felt previously was gone now.

Most people couldn't understand how he had such a deep friendship with Kagome. They believed that the two were as different as night and day and Marco's age difference with hers (oh, if they only knew) certainly didn't help matters. But, what people didn't know was that Marco and Kagome were similar in a way that no one else was.

They were both broken.

 

* * *

 

 

"Oiiiiiiii! Kagomeeee!"

Said person snapped out of her trance in detecting enemy ships. She opened her eyes and peered out of the crow's nest she was in, scanning the deck for the pompadour-shaped hairstyle of the familiar drawling voice that called her name.

"What do you want Thatch?" she yelled once she spotted him below.

Thatch grinned. "To see you, my beautiful dove!"

Sappy compliments like that were a common occurrence every time Kagome saw Thatch. The pompadour-haired man wanted her to blush and get embarrassed because that didn't happen very often. And while Kagome found his compliments a little aggravating at times, she couldn't help but appreciate the good intentions behind his actions. And so, she never asked him to stop.

"Uh-huh," she deadpanned. It didn't mean she give him what he wanted though.

Thatch's grinning expression quickly sobered up once he saw that he was unsuccessful this time as well. "Right, well I was gonna ask you to join me for lunch later, but first Oyaji's looking for you."

As soon as he said those words, Kagome jumped out of the crow's nest and landed gracefully in a crouch next to him.

"Jiji? What for?" she asked as she straightened up.

Thatch shrugged. "He didn't say. Just told me to come get you. So… Kagome-chan, about my offer of lunch…?" his voice trailed off suggestively, almost hopefully even. Kagome cracked a small smile at his eagerness.

"All right. But only if you promise not to do anything stupid like last time," she warned.

Thatch blinked innocently. "Why Kagome-chan, I have no idea what you mean."

She snorted in an unladylike manner. "Don't talk bullshit with me Thatch. The last time I joined you for lunch, you and Izou-chan organised that goddamn drinking competition and depleted half our saké supply."

"Aw, Kagome-chan, what was so bad about that?" Thatch pouted, unrepentant in the least.

"You're not the one who had to take care of the hundreds of drunkass men," she replied dryly, "Checking to see if they're hydrated. Cleaning up their vomits, making sure they didn't piss their pants. Not to mention fending off all those perverts who decided to cop a feel while I was at it…" her voice trailed off dangerously.

"Ehehe… I promise not to do anything stupid this time…" Thatch laughed nervously. "So… I'll save you a seat in the mess hall?"

She nodded. "All right, but I don't know how long I'll be with Jiji," she replied and turned to leave. After walking a few steps, she stopped. "Ah hold on a minute Thatch," she called out and the man raised a brow at her.

"Save a seat for Marco too would you?"

"I thought you might say that," he grinned, "Can't say I'm surprised. You and Marco do everything together!"

This time, Kagome blushed at the comment and Thatch's grin widened. Success!

"We don't do  _everything_  together…" Kagome insisted, still blushing. And her blush deepened when Thatch's grin turned feral. It was eerily similar to how a demon smiled at people before it gleefully took their souls.

"Oh really…?" he practically purred, "Marco's the one you're the closest to on this ship. You sit beside each other whenever we're partying, you eat together at mealtimes, you always head out with him whenever we dock, you've been sharing a room for years and hell, the only things I haven't seen you two do together is bathe and share the bed," Thatch paused to grin at Kagome's embarrassed expression.

Even if Kagome were under the most horrible torture imaginable, she would never,  _ever_ , tell Thatch how wrong he was about that last point.

Whenever she and Marco sleep together on the same bed, they did just that – sleep. They did not sleep with each other – as in, they never had sex. They 'slept' together only for one purpose and one purpose alone – comfort. So really, 'sleeping together' for them was completely innocent.

But of course Thatch would never settle for that answer. He would blow everything out of proportion and Kagome would  _never_  hear the end of it.

"Why, if I didn't know any better, I would say that the two of you were lovers," Thatch continued on before thinking, and once his mind caught up to exactly what words escaped his mouth, the pompadour-haired man froze in dawning horror.  _Oh shit._

"I-I er…" he attempted to speak, but it was too late. The damage was already done.

"You know that's not true Thatch…" Kagome began softly, her face filled with melancholy, "Marco loves only one woman, and I never want to take her place in his heart like that." Her eyes grew distant, and for a moment she was lost in the memories of the good times she'd once shared with Marco and his beautiful lover.

But as quickly as it came, the moment was over and Kagome snapped out of her thoughts. She flashed Thatch a kind smile to show him that she was okay.

"Like I said," she continued on with a shrug that she hoped looked dismissive, "There's nothing going on between Marco and I. We're just close friends.  _That's all_." She ended the sentence with a hint of forcefulness that left Thatch backing away in submission.

"Hai hai…" he held his hands up as a sign of surrender.

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned to leave, walking in the direction of Whitebeard's room. "See you later Thatch!" she called out, not bothering to turn around. A few seconds later she heard Thatch's own reply of goodbye.

.


	3. Useless To Run From The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kagome had been in the lowest point of her life two years ago, broken and guilt-ridden beyond comprehension, it had been Whitebeard who had helped her. He had seen the pain lurking behind her eyes, he had taken her in, he had cared for her and he had ultimately started the healing of her broken soul.

.

**1st Year, 5 NOV**

.

The walk to Whitebeard's room was a short but familiar one.

Kagome had long ago stopped counting exactly how many times she had made this journey. But, if she were to give an estimate, she would say that it would have already been over a thousand times. Back in the day, she would always see Whitebeard for anything. Be it a good thing or bad, big or small, meaningless or meaningful, happy or sad, she would always head over and talk to him about it.

But presently, she had Marco as her primary confidante.

Which meant that she didn't confide in Whitebeard as much as she did in the past anymore. But it wasn't because her relationship with the old man had downgraded. No, it was nothing of the sort. Kagome could even confidently say that their relationship was better than it had ever been. The reason she had stopped telling him about every little thing was because she was being mindful of his failing health. She cared for him too much to want to trouble him with her silly worries or insecurities or guilt.

When Kagome had been in the lowest point of her life two years ago, broken and guilt-ridden beyond comprehension, it had been Whitebeard who had helped her.

He had seen the pain lurking behind her eyes, he had taken her in, he had cared for her and he had ultimately started the healing of her broken soul. (Healing, but never to be whole again.) Basically, Kagome truly was grateful to Whitebeard for everything he had done for her, and she loved him as how one would love a grandfather. (Never a father though. The only father she would ever have would always be…)

Kagome was sure without Whitebeard's help, she probably would have been dead from her grief several years ago. That was how bad things had been for her then.

Kagome arrived at the large door to his room and knocked on it. "Jiji? It's Kagome."

A moment later she heard Whitebeard's rumbling voice, "Come on in."

Kagome opened the door and stepped inside, smiling tenderly at Whitebeard, who was laid out on his bed and hooked up to his daily medication. Her smile got even wider when she noticed Marco standing beside the bed, a newspaper in his hand.

Marco smiled back at her while Whitebeard took a hearty swig from the saké bottle he carried in his hand. Kagome sighed softly and briefly wondered how many bottles the old man had already drank today. Although she disliked Whitebeard drinking so much – the man's health wasn't exactly the greatest, and drinking certainly didn't help it – she kept her silence because of the many times Kagome told Whitebeard to cut down on his drinking, not once did he listen to her.

 _Even when he's hooked up to all those tubes, the stubborn old man still wants to drink…._  she thought with a begrudging fondness.

"Kagome," Whitebeard's voice was warm.

Kagome walked up to him and looked up, staring straight into his eyes. "Afternoon Jiji," her voice was just as warm, and her smile was bright. Whitebeard reached out and patted her head fondly with his oversized finger.

Once he retracted his hand, Kagome said bluntly, "Thatch said you wanted to see me. Is your health acting up again?" She frowned in worry.

"Gurararara, straight to the point as always I see," he noted, and laughed again when Kagome blushed slightly. "Don't worry, my health's fine. I just wanted to talk to you about another matter, but first, lemme finish hearing the news." He then looked at Marco, who nodded and began reading out loud from the newspaper in his hand. It was a daily ritual for Marco to read the news to his captain. It was something he liked to do, and it was mostly him that did it because well, not many of their men could read.

And besides, Marco had already been doing it for a long, long time.

Kagome closed her eyes and listened to the news in silence, letting the soothing timbre of Marco's voice wash over her. She wasn't paying attention to the words so she didn't know what he was talking about. No, she just really loved the sound of his voice; it was deep, it was calming, and in some ways it was her anchor, because it was his voice that had calmed her down during the times when her nightmares got really bad.

"Wait son, repeat that," Whitebeard spoke up, breaking Kagome from her reverie. She opened her eyes and watched the phoenix, curious as to what news was so important or interesting that Whitebeard wanted to hear it again.

"Portgas D. Ace, future Shichibukai?" Marco read the title calmly.

Kagome raised her brow in surprise. Lately, she and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates had been hearing plenty of news concerning one Hiken no Ace, the infamous super rookie. He was taking the Grandline by storm with his crew, the Spade Pirates, and he currently held the record for the highest bounty a rookie ever received for this year – a 350 million bounty in 10 months of piracy.

But as for the highest bounty record of all time for a rookie… well… let's just say that Ace still had a long way to go.

"Shichibukai huh? Not bad for a newcomer," she mused, mildly impressed. Though she hated the Marines with a passion, even she knew that not just any ordinary pirate was offered the chance to be a Shichibukai.

Marco nodded as his eyes skimmed across the rest of the article, "Yeah, but he refused them, yoi."

Kagome smirked. "Can't say I blame him. When I got the offer, I turned them down too."

She did indeed. The Marines had offered her the position over three years ago, back when Kagome had been quite the infamous rookie herself. In fact, she and another two of her  _nakama_  had made such a notorious trio of pirates that the whole world had bestowed a title upon them.

' _Sannin no Ou_ '.

It translated into 'The Three Kings' (with no affiliation to the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh) and they were called that because coincidentally, all three of them had ' _Ou_ ' – or 'King' – in their respective nicknames. But, that wasn't the main reason.

No, the main reason had to do with their strength. 'The Three Kings' were – and possibly still are – among the top pirates of the current age.

As proof to that statement…

Remember the highest bounty record of all time a rookie ever attained? Well, about the rookie pirate that set it – he's one of 'The Three Kings'. And although he had set that record more than half a decade ago, until now there was still no rookie able to beat it.

If that wasn't a sign of their strength, then Kagome didn't know what was.

"Hmmm," Marco hummed, "You never mentioned that before, yoi."

She shrugged. "I didn't think that it was important. But like I said, I turned them down. Immediately. There was no way in hell I wanted to work for those bastards…" She muttered the last part in a tone that could be considered petulant.

Marco's mouth quirked up into a little smile at her comment while Whitebeard just laughed.

"Gurararara … that kid would make a fine addition to our family," he commented.

Marco and Kagome exchanged slightly surprised looks. If the chance of being offered the position of Shichibukai was rare, then the chance of Whitebeard showing this kind of interest in a rookie was even rarer.

"I don't think he would be interested Jiji," Kagome replied with a slight tilt of her head. "Pirates these days – especially young pirates – they all want to get famous by their own power, not by riding on another's fame."

"Oh,  _you're_  not included in those 'young pirates' Kagome?" Whitebeard asked with an amused smile.

The raven-haired woman shook her head.

"I may be young, but for me becoming a pirate had nothing to do with the fame and power Jiji," she replied with a small smile. It quickly faded however, when she recalled something and she unconsciously fingered the handle of her sword.

_At least, it didn't in the beginning…_

"Kagome's right," Marco interrupted them with a wry smile, "pirates these days want adventure and riches, yoi. Not many care for family." As he said that, he carefully straightened the newspaper, folded it in half and tucked it under his arm. Then he turned to his father lounging on the bed.

"I'm done for today Oyaji. You want me to go so you and Kagome can talk?" he asked.

Whitebeard shook his head.

"Stay, son," he said simply before turning to Kagome. "On my desk, there's a letter. It's at the top of the pile, the one with the red envelope. I want you to get it first," he instructed. Kagome did as she was told and once she picked it up, she froze in shock.

It was addressed to  _her_.

And that elegant handwriting… Kagome would know it anywhere.

"It arrived for you this morning," Whitebeard told her, his voice as gentle as could be – which wasn't much to be honest.

Marco's eyes widened slightly in concern when he noticed that as the raven-haired girl held the letter her hands were trembling. He started to go to her side, but stopped when he saw his father shake his head. The phoenix squared his jaw in frustration, but nevertheless did as ordered.

"…Is that all you wanted to see me for Jiji?" Kagome finally spoke, albeit softly.

Whitebeard didn't reply, but she picked out the unspoken ' _Yes_ ' in his silence. "Then I'll be going now," she said before she turned and left the room. A few moments later, Marco turned to his father.

"It was from the pup."

It wasn't a question, merely a statement.

"Ah…" the old man agreed.

Marco sighed tiredly. "I'll see you later Oyaji," he muttered before leaving the room, in search of a certain blue-eyed beauty. Whitebeard stared at his closed door for a few minutes, a pensive look on his face. Then, he shook his head as if to dispel his thoughts before taking a swig of his sake.

 _Kids these days…_  he thought with a rueful sigh.

.


	4. Nothing But Trouble And Pain Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't understand. Why don't they hate me? How can they still care about me after what happened?"
> 
> "They still care because they're your family, yoi," he replied seriously, using the pad of his thumb to brush her tears away. "No matter what wrongs you've committed, no matter what mistakes you've made, they'll forgive you regardless. Because they're your family and they love you for everything you are and everything you're not."

.

**1st Year, 5 NOV**

.

It didn't take Marco long to find Kagome.

Actually, he didn't even need to find her at all. He already knew where she was – because there was only one place Kagome would go to whenever she was upset – and that was the front of the Moby Dick, where the giant whale head would be.

It was her favourite spot on the ship.

When Marco arrived, he immediately spotted her sitting in the middle of the whale head.

But, he did not go to her.

From where he stood at the edge of the whale head, the phoenix could see the opened letter in her hands, and he knew that it was best to give her some time alone to read it, to absorb the information. He would go to her only when she asked it of him.

And until she did, he would silently watch over her – being there  _for_  her but not being there  _with_  her.

Marco estimated that nearly half an hour had passed before Kagome delicately put the letter back in the envelope and tucked it in her pocket. She then drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Her whole being screamed vulnerable.

The man took this as a signal that she needed him and he swiftly made his way over to her. He sat down cross-legged beside her and directed his gaze on the ocean before them while Kagome leaned tiredly against him, revelling in the comfort that his presence offered.

He did not speak, and neither did she.

She just stared at the floor in seemingly deep contemplation.

The next several minutes passed between them in companionable silence, and although Kagome knew that Marco would never force her to tell him things she didn't want, she also knew that in this case, she had to tell him. No matter what. The man may not have shown it, but Kagome knew that he was worried about her, and the part of her that cared about him didn't want to cause him unnecessary pain or worry.

Kagome drew in a deep breath, and readied herself to talk.

"…It's been over 2 years since I last saw them," she told him softly.

Marco did not speak, but merely turned his head to look at her.

"Everyone wants me to come home. They all miss me." She let out a humourless laugh, "Even the  _Ryuuou_  himself."

She clenched her fists so tightly that they turned white. "I don't understand. Why don't they hate me? How can they still care about me after what happened?" Marco reached out his hand and gently turned her face towards him. Her teary eyes were filled with remorse, and Marco wished more than ever to take away her pain.

Kagome was young ( _so_ ,  _so_   _young_ ) and it wasn't right that she should suffer like this.

"They still care because they're your family, yoi," he replied seriously, using the pad of his thumb to brush her tears away. "No matter what wrongs you've committed, no matter what mistakes you've made, they'll forgive you regardless. Because they're your family and they love you for everything you are and everything you're not."

A beat of silence, before…

"…Kinda like your family?"

Marco smiled. "Kinda like  _our_  family," he corrected.

Kagome smiled in return. And although it was a faint one, the phoenix was still pleased.

He watched with slight curiosity as Kagome brought her hand up to place over his hand that was still holding her face. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against it, breathing in deeply and taking in his familiar scent.

"Thank you Marco," she whispered sincerely, opening her eyes.

"No problem, yoi," he replied tenderly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her body close to his. Kagome rested her head against his chest, taking comfort in the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat.

The two continued to stay in that position, saying nothing – merely basking in each other's presence.

To the casual observer, the scene looked as one of lovers sharing an intensely private moment. To the Whitebeard Pirates, the scene looked as one of a tender romance developing between their First Mate and their resident Doctor. To Marco and Kagome on the other hand, the scene looked as one of two people who had known great love, lost that love, and were seeking out each other because they  _understood_. Intimately.

Nothing seemed to exist outside of the moment they were in, and the Whitebeard Pirates working out on deck who saw the two did not stare for long and quickly looked away, going about with their daily business.

They knew better than to interrupt or to watch, as Marco might get angry with them. And if there was something that every Whitebeard Pirate knew, it was to not get Marco the Phoenix angry, no matter what.

He was  _scary as fuck_ when he was pissed off.

Although an amiable and relaxed man most of the time, once he got angry all of his brothers agreed that he was scarier than even Whitebeard on his worst day. None of them would be able to forget the fate of the unfortunate crewmember who had once been on the receiving end of Marco's full-blown wrath. Everyone shuddered just thinking about it. Nope, they definitely did not want him upset or angry with them.

So they merely ignored the two and went on with their work.

 

* * *

 

It was peaceful.

The sea was calm, the temperature was cooling and the azure sky was clear of storm clouds. It was definitely one of the good days on the Grand Line. The waves were lapping gently against the side of the ship, creating a steady but soothing tempo. Crewmembers walked about the deck, their footsteps padding softly against the wood. Faint sounds of chatter and work could be heard in the air. It was peaceful indeed.

Marco honestly wasn't surprised when that peacefulness was shattered.

"BIG NEWS!" someone yelled out.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and the sounds of activity faded. Soon, there was an excited chatter in the air and someone yelled for Marco. The man in question sighed in mild annoyance and let go of Kagome.

"What's so important, yoi?" Marco wondered as he stood up, also taking the care to help her up as well.

Kagome shrugged and strapped her sword back to her waist. "Who knows?"

They made their way back towards the deck, where a crowd had gathered. Once the men saw him, they parted soundlessly, letting him through. Marco and Kagome headed to the centre of the crowd, where the person who had shouted the announcement was.

"What's the news?" Marco asked his subordinate.

The man nodded respectfully at the phoenix. "Marco-taichou, we've just got word that Jinbe is fighting Hiken no Ace!"

Marco raised his eyebrow slightly in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes taichou," he replied, "Sources say that they've already been at it for four days straight."

Marco let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. Four days straight? Portgas and Jinbe both had fucking good stamina, that was for sure.

"…Ano, Marco-taichou, what are your orders?"

It took Marco only a brief moment to decide. "Inform the other ships and set sail! I want us there in under three days, yoi!"

"Yes taichou!" the men acknowledged enthusiastically.

The crowd slowly dissipated as Marco barked out orders to each and every one of them, until only he and Kagome were left.

"…I'll help," she told him quietly. And while she didn't say how she wanted to help out, Marco knew.

He raised his brows. "You sure?"

She didn't reply, but her expression told him everything.

"…" Marco was speechless, and he made no attempt to mask his surprise. Although Kagome had an ability that others didn't have, she mostly used it for healing. In fact, Marco could count with two hands just exactly how many times in the past Kagome had used that ability for something other than healing and still have fingers left over.

"…Do what you want, yoi," he said at last, "I'll stop by once I let Oyaji know what's going on."

She smiled, "You know where to find me."

And then she was off.

Marco watched her departing figure for a few moments before letting out a soft exhale. How unexpected to think that it was only this morning when they had talked about the flame user… And now they were off to get him.

 _Oyaji's going to be so amused when he finds out,_  Marco thought as he headed in the direction of Whitebeard's quarters.

Portgas D. Ace huh… Somehow, Marco had a feeling that things were about to get very,  _very_  interesting around here…

 

* * *

 

As Marco predicted, Whitebeard  _had_  been amused.

He had been  _greatly_  amused, in fact.

"Gurararara …" Whitebeard continued to laugh.

He had been laughing nonstop ever since Marco had told him the news. And because the phoenix had rarely seen his father laugh like this, he had been content to stand by the sidelines and not interrupt.

With his arms folded and eyes closed, he smiled and simply enjoyed the moment.

Once the sound of laughter died down, Marco opened his eyes to find his father grinning at him. And the smile on the old man's face was so wide that it comically resembled the infamous moustache he was named for.

"How long till we arrive son?" he asked, still slightly breathless from his long bout of laughter.

"If winds are strong, then two days. Three at the most," Marco replied with a shrug, "Though now, I'm not so sure, yoi."

Whitebeard raised an amused brow. "Why?"

"Kagome's offered to  _help_."

This time, Whitebeard looked slightly surprised. "Did she now? That's rare of her."

Marco nodded in agreement.  _Don't I know it_ ' he thought to himself, before speaking. "Since she's helping, the journey will definitely be shorter. But as for  _how_  much shorter I can't say, considering the nature of her help, yoi."

There was a moment of silence, then, "…Any idea why she suddenly decided to volunteer?"

The phoenix smiled ruefully, "She didn't tell me, but I know her well enough to guess. She…" He paused with a certain uncertainty. "She doesn't like death." Marco frowned and shook his head in mild annoyance.

That sounded stupid. Who  _doesn't_  like death?

He was quiet for the next few moments as he attempted to organise his thoughts.

"…Before she retired, Kagome was one of the best pirates of her generation, wasn't she?" Whitebeard spoke up, his dark eyes alight with fond recollection. "From what I've heard, she loved being a pirate. The adventure, the freedom, the comrades, the fighting…"

Marco laughed once, and it was a pleasant sound.

"Especially the fighting, yoi," he interjected. "...Kagome told me that she loved the fighting so much she never bothered with her healing."

Marco's smile morphed into a grimace.

"But after  _he_  died, things changed, yoi. Kagome didn't want to fight anymore. Told me that her reckless fighting was the reason  _he_  died," he stated seriously, "So, to atone for it she stopped fighting and started healing. She patched up a lot of our men – even saved some of their lives. And helping our men saved her too. She was opening up more, smiling more, becoming happy. She was finally even starting to forgive herself, yoi. But when… when Mi-"

Marco's throat went dry and he swallowed deeply, trying to continue.

He couldn't say her name. He just  _couldn't_  say her name. It hurt like a bitch to even try.

"When  _she_  died as well," he ended up saying, and was grateful that his father hadn't asked him to clarify who 'she' was. Marco didn't think his heart would have been able to bear it. "Everything went to hell, yoi," he stated bluntly, " _She_  was like a mother to Kagome, and after  _her_  death, Kagome cut herself off from everyone again. She even blamed herself for not being able to save  _her_ …"

The phoenix felt his throat constrict again.

"I've told Kagome countless times already that it wasn't her fault, but as for whether or not she believes me…" he laughed humourlessly once, before his features and his voice softened, " _Her_  death… It wasn't Kagome's fault, yoi. It wasn't anybody's fault."

_It wasn't anybody's fault._

That was what Marco had repeated to himself every single day for the past year as an attempt for him to try and move on, to leave his despair and grief behind. He would say it as soon as he woke up, and it gave him the strength to carry on his duties for the rest of the day. But, if he really thought about it… Who was he trying to kid? If there were somebody at fault here, it would definitely be him. It was his damn fault. Not Kagome's. His.

For not being strong enough. For not being able to protect his lover. For letting her die.

Marco hastily shoved away that thought.  _It wasn't anybody's fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. It wasn't anybody's fault._

 _It wasn't anybody's fault._  "So… what I'm trying to say is... Kagome's helping out because she doesn't like any unnecessary violence. Strangers, allies, friends, loved ones; it doesn't matter to her. She doesn't want them to die or get injured if she's got to power to help. That's why she's so eager to assist Jinbe."

Whitebeard was silent as he contemplated on Marco's words.

"…I see," he finally spoke with a nod.

An ordinary man might have missed it, but Marco was able to pick up on Whitebeard's unspoken dismissal almost immediately. He nodded respectfully, "So I'll be getting back to work now, Oyaji. I'll stop by to let you know when we're reaching, yoi."

Without waiting for a reply, Marco strode out of the door and into the sunlight.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case some of you were wondering: No, Marco's lover isn't related to Kagome in any way. Kagome just stayed with them when she first came aboard because they had a spare bed in their room. So that's how she got to know them quite well.
> 
> As for who this mystery lover is... Well, no she's not an OC. But she is an Inuyasha character...


	5. Of Nicknames, Secrets And Bets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So…" another familiar voice drawled as he approached the trio on the whale head, "Who do you think is gonna win this little battle?"
> 
> Marco turned his head to regard the newest person lazily.
> 
> "Really Thatch," he deadpanned, "Must you gamble on everything, yoi?"

.

**1st Year, 6 NOV**

.

As it turned out, it had taken the Whitebeard Pirates only a little more than a day to reach Jinbe's island rather than the three days that Marco had originally predicted. Winds had been strong throughout the entire journey, and the currents had been even stronger.

The men were calling their journey a miracle. Some of the superstitious ones even claimed that Poseidon was looking out for them.

Marco smirked amusedly.  _If only they knew._

The phoenix honestly wasn't surprised by their speculations. The only people that knew who was the one really responsible for their miraculous journey was Whitebeard and all his commanders. Though, they would never say anything about it.

The Whitebeard Pirates would never betray a person they considered one of their own.

And besides, it simply wasn't their place.

Kagome was a very private individual and everyone on the crew was respectful about that. Though they knew little about her past and person, they would never pry.

"Marco-taichou, the island's straight ahead," one of the navigators called from the deck.

Marco, who was currently standing on the whale head, nodded in acknowledgement. Even though there were multiple islands before them, he didn't ask his brother to specify which. He was perfectly aware which island Jinbe and Portgas were fighting on.

The random bursts of fire and occasional explosions coming from one particular island were a dead giveaway, even with all the mist.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps drawing closer and soon Whitebeard was standing beside him.

"If sources are correct, it's been five days since they've started fighting, yoi," Marco intoned quietly.

"Without stop?" Whitebeard asked, impressed. Jinbe was by no means weak, and to go head to head with him, for  _five_  days straight no less. Well, if Whitebeard wasn't serious about Portgas D. Ace joining his crew previously, he sure as hell was now.

Marco nodded in reply, staring at the nearing island.

"We made it a lot faster than expected son," Whitebeard observed calmly.

"Yeah," Marco agreed, that eternally lazy expression on his face. "Thanks to Kagome's help. Though, some of the men are calling it a blessing from Poseidon, yoi," he admitted with some amusement, earning a loud round of laughter from Whitebeard.

"Gurararara," he guffawed, "Poseidon? More like a blessing from  _Shinou_."

Marco cracked a small smile.  _Shinou_  indeed.

"You know… It's rude to talk about a person behind their backs," a feminine voice called out pleasantly from behind them. Marco turned his head slightly and watched as Kagome walked up the stairs and onto the whale head to join them.

"Is all this mist your doing, Kagome?" Marco asked her curiously once she reached his side.

She shook her head. "Nope. It's completely natural. Think about it – Portgas uses fire, Jinbe uses water. And when fire and water clash…" her voice trailed off suggestively, "Well, you get steam, or mist in this case."

Kagome then turned to Whitebeard.

" _Shinou_? Really Jiji?" she mused, "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while."

"Why not?" Whitebeard asked, "It suits you Kagome."

"If you say so…" her voice trailed off.

Even though she looked a little nostalgic, Marco was glad to see that hearing her old nickname hadn't affected her  _that_  much. In the past, neither Marco nor Whitebeard had dared to mention it to her face for fear that she would suddenly burst into tears.

And it had happened before, as Marco had had the  _fortune_  of learning.

"I have to agree. You should use your nickname more often, yoi. It sounds better than mine, or Oyaji's for that matter," he joked, earning a laugh from Kagome and a playful whack on his head, courtesy of Whitebeard.

"There's nothing wrong with my nickname, brat," Whitebeard stated calmly.

"I don't think 'Marco the Phoenix' sounds that bad," she smiled. "Even though it's kinda literal, it actually does suit you."

"Try having that nickname for a few decades before you offer me your opinion  _little_  girl," Marco sniped back.

Kagome blinked, before turning to Whitebeard. "Jiji, how old  _is_  Marco again?"

"Older than you," the phoenix retorted before Whitebeard could even open his mouth to reply, "And don't even bother asking anyone cause no one knows. My age is one of the biggest secrets of the crew, yoi." He sounded positively giddy with glee.

"Geez Marco, you act like such a woman," Kagome groused playfully.

"Someone has to between the two of us," he replied just as playfully, earning a smack to the arm from Kagome.

"Is this the day where I get abused by everyone, yoi?" he winced, grumbling to himself.

"You were asking for it," Kagome stated as a matter-of-factly.

Whitebeard grinned all the while at their exchange. "My children," he chided amusedly, "Behave yourselves."

As Marco and Kagome smiled at the old man sheepishly, a crewmember on the deck piped up. "Oyaji, Marco-taichou, Kagome-san! We're reaching the island in a few minutes!" he yelled to the three on the whale head.

"All right!" Marco yelled back in reply, before facing his father, "Do you have a plan Oyaji? Or do we just sail in and charge?" Pretty much a staple with the Whitebeard Pirates.

The old man was silent for a moment before he turned to the deck.

"Listen up my sons!" he spoke loudly to his men, "Keep our distance and observe the battle. Head for shore only when it's over!"

The men shouted in acknowledgment before resuming work.

Marco turned to Whitebeard, his brow raised slightly in curiosity. "I can sense this fight is about to end soon, and I'd like to see the outcome first," Whitebeard stated calmly to his adopted family.

They nodded in understanding.

Though the way he said it did sound a little cruel, Edward Newgate was anything but, and his children were perfectly aware of that. They knew that he honestly meant no ill will when he said what he said. If Jinbe's life had truly been in danger, Whitebeard wouldn't have given this set of instructions. Rather, he would have charged in immediately regardless of the risks to himself as Whitebeard always put his family above everything.

He was a great man like that, and Marco would gladly lay down his life for him.

"So…" another familiar voice drawled as he approached the trio on the whale head, "Who do you think is gonna win this little battle?"

Marco turned his head to regard the newest person lazily.

"Really Thatch," he deadpanned, "Must you gamble on everything, yoi?"

The man in question pouted. "What? It isn't exactly a bet Marco-chan!" he complained, inwardly cheering at the sight of the irritated tic that appeared on the phoenix's forehead, "I was only asking what everyone thought. Did you hear me asking how much you all wanted to cough up?"

"Stop calling me Marco-chan," the phoenix gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Why not?" Thatch smirked, "I think it's cute. Don't you agree, Kagome?"

"Oh yes,  _very_ ," she stressed, smiling mirthfully.

Marco sighed deeply in mild annoyance, knowing that anything he said would just be used against him. Kagome smiled and poked him playfully in the chest. "Oh don't look so glum Marco- _chan_ ," she teased, before leaning in close to his ear. "At least Thatch didn't call you 'blue chicken' or 'flaming turkey' or something along the lines of that," she whispered with barely contained laughter.

Marco's eye twitched in irritation. "Do that and he's dead, yoi," he replied seriously.

"Hmmm… do what?" Thatch asked curiously.

"Nothing of importance Thatch." Kagome smiled pleasantly, "So… you asked something about Portgas and Jinbe…?"

Thatch either didn't notice or didn't seem to care as Kagome blatantly changed the subject. "Oh right. Who do you think is gonna win this little battle?"

"Who knows?" Marco said with a shrug. "And  _no_ , I'm not going to bet on it, yoi."

"Eh, but  _why_?" Thatch almost whined.

He fixed Thatch with an unnerving stare, and was not surprised when the pompadour-haired man fidgeted nervously under it. No one except Whitebeard, Kagome and Mi- and his deceased lover were immune to it. The rest were all scared stiff.

"Because, I have better things to do in my life than gamble with you," Marco stated calmly.

Thatch frowned. "Keh. Stingy."

The phoenix smiled dryly. "And don't you forget it, yoi."

"Well… I say that it's going to end in a draw. After fighting for that long, they're bound to collapse from exhaustion sooner or later," Kagome said with a small frown before looking up to Whitebeard. "Jiji, what do you think?"

"I agree with Kagome," he replied, smirking down to his children, "So the real question is; who collapses first?"

"Jinbe," Marco, Thatch and Kagome immediately blurted out in perfect harmony.

Whitebeard raised an amused brow. "Oh? Why is that?"

Thatch grinned sheepishly, slightly embarrassed at the display of their apparent lack of faith in their ally. "Well Oyaji… let's be honest here. Jinbe isn't that young anymore. He's in his forties now. Portgas on the other hand is still in his teens. He's at the height of his joyous youth. So knowing that, and adding five days of non-stop battle between them, do you even need to ask us for the answer?"

"I hate to say it, but Thatch is right, yoi," Marco added quietly, while Kagome smiled in agreement.

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?" Thatch grumbled, but was ignored.

"Well then, we'll have to see, won't we?" Whitebeard asked with a laugh.

"I say it's Jinbe first, and Portgas immediately after," Thatch stated before a crewmember with a spyglass yelled out loudly from the deck. "Oyaji! Jinbe's just collapsed!" he reported, still staring into the spyglass, "It seems like Portgas is the winner – no wait! Portgas collapsed too!"

Thatch grinned cheekily. "See? Told ya."

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said in the previous chapters that this was more of a fusion of 2 fandoms rather than a crossover... so I may be bastardising some canon facts about Devil Fruit Mythology and the One Piece universe. Sorry.
> 
> I also mentioned in the previous chapters that Kagome used to be part of a trio called 'The Three Kings', named as such because all of them had 'King' in their nicknames. Two of The Three Kings have been revealed.
> 
> Ryuuou and Shinou.


	6. The Very Shitty Day Of Portgas D. Ace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is that all you've got brat?" Whitebeard grinned.
> 
> From behind the man Ace could see some of the Whitebeard Pirates sporting grins of their own as well. A member with a ridiculous pompadour hairstyle even broke out into a loud round of amused laughter.
> 
> Ace flushed mildly in embarrassment. "Shut up!"

.

**1st Year, 6 NOV**

.

Portgas D. Ace was exhausted.

After fighting for five days straight with that damn fish person, he certainly had a right to be.

He was also as pissed as  _hell_ , and he most definitely had a right to be for that.

Personally, Ace didn't mind collapsing from a fatigue so bad that it hurt even to  _breathe_. It happened often enough in his childhood growing up with Dadan and the rest. So by now, he was simply used to it.

No, the thing that pissed him off was to fight five days straight with that damn fish person, only for their match to end in a draw.

_A freakin' draw._

How pathetic was that?

Having a draw was as good as losing in his opinion.

He fought against a guy who didn't have a Devil Fruit and was more than twice his age. And. He. Still. Lost.

 _I'm such a good-for-nothing bastard_ , he thought with pure self-loathing as he lay sprawled on the dirt. He longed for sleep, to get back just a little bit of his strength, and faintly wondered why his accursed narcolepsy hadn't kicked in yet.

"ACE!" he heard some of his nakama cry out for him in concern.

He struggled to get up, and from the corner of his vision he could make out something big approaching the shore.

 _A whal_ e _?_  he thought in tired confusion before he got a better look.  _No, a ship._

A second or two passed before he collapsed face-first on the ground again, too tired to even look up anymore. Faintly, he could hear his nakama's worried babbling as the ship drew nearer and nearer.

"What  _is_  that?" his first mate yelled out in fear.

"Which one of you wants to kill me?" Ace heard a deep voice call out, but he had no more energy to look up. "I'm gonna fight you as you wish."

"The Whitebeard Pirates?!" one of his nakama yelled out in terror.

 _Oh fuck_ , Ace thought in panic. He was in no condition to go head-to-head with Whitebeard now.

"I'm gonna fight you people single-handedly," the man who was supposedly Whitebeard declared.

As he heard Whitebeard descend the ship and approach his men, Ace struggled to get up. Even if he lost his life in the process, he would die before he let Whitebeard lay a hand on his nakama. Just as he got to his knees, Whitebeard reached him, and so did some of his men.

The aged pirate took one look at them before he waved his Bisento in an attack.

"Guys!" Ace yelled, watching in horror as his men were swept away by the sheer raw power of it.

It took him a split second to get his head together and he grit his teeth in concentration. "ENJOMO!" he yelled, drawing on his Devil Fruit. He stood up as a wall of fire formed, separating his men from him and Whitebeard.

"Ace-sencho, what are you doing?!" one of his men yelled.

"You guys run!" he ordered, half turning to the flaming wall.  _I'm not gonna let you all die here._

"Sencho!" his first mate yelled in desperation, as if he were begging Ace to leave with them.

Whitebeard, who was watching the scene, grinned in faint amusement as he recalled Marco's words from before. " _Besides, pirates these days want adventure and riches, yoi. Not many care for family._ "

 _This one does,_ he thought with interest.

"What's the matter? Are you backing away after all?" he asked instead.

Ace turned to regard him angrily. "Let my crew get away," he stated, "Instead… I'm staying!"

"You snot-nosed brat! Arrogant, aren't you?" Whitebeard questioned, his grin growing wider by the second.  _You were wrong Marco. This brat cares more about his men than himself. He would fit right into our family._

Ace gave a loud yell as he launched himself at Whitebeard, who immediately swiped him away with his Bisento.

Even though Whitebeard attacked with the blunt end, the strength behind that attack was still able to draw blood. Ace flew dozens of feet away from the legendary pirate with a slash across his chest that was bleeding, and he was sure that he had cracked a couple of ribs.

Unsurprisingly, as he got up and launched himself at Whitebeard again, his next attack proved to be just as successful.

But still, Ace wouldn't be deterred. His men had often told him that he was stubborn as hell and had a bloody unbelievable endurance, so he was sure he could take this beating from Whitebeard. Besides, he just needed to fight until he was sure that all of his men had gotten away safely.

With that resolve in mind, he got up again and prepared for another attack.

 _Just a little longer, hold on just a little longer,_  he chanted in his head, still attacking despite everything. He prayed his body could last.

Ace cried out in pain as one particular attack from Whitebeard slammed him back first into the ground. The impact was so great that even the earth cracked and a crater formed in its wake.

Ace turned his head to the side and coughed out blood. He grimaced in distaste.  _Internal injuries, huh?_

Frankly, with Whitebeard's monstrous strength, he wasn't surprised in the least.

Ace forced himself to get up again and swayed unsteadily on his feet from the blood loss. Whitebeard was grinning at him in amusement and even though it was probably better that the man wasn't taking him seriously, Ace still got pissed off.

Well, Luffy always did say he had an unreasonable temper.

He made his arm ignite in flame and launched his signature move straight at Whitebeard. "HIKEN!"

The man deflected the ball of fire as if it was nothing, and Ace grit his teeth in irritation. He knew the attack wasn't at full strength because he was focusing most of his attention on the flame wall behind him, and he was still pretty exhausted from his previous battle with Jinbe. But  _damn_  if it wasn't rather emasculating to see your favourite move swatted away like it was some insignificant fly.

"Is that all you've got brat?" Whitebeard grinned.

From behind the man Ace could see some of the Whitebeard Pirates sporting grins of their own as well. A member with a ridiculous pompadour hairstyle even broke out into a loud round of amused laughter.

Ace flushed mildly in embarrassment. "Shut up!"

The laughing crewmembers didn't stop, and Ace felt his body light up in fire. He was literally burning with anger. With a shout of fury he launched himself at Whitebeard again with his flaming fist outstretched.

Even though he kept getting beat back, Ace continued to get up and attack.

Even when his body was too tired or too in pain to do so anymore, Ace kept pushing himself to get up. He wouldn't let himself be defeated this easily. Not when his men counted on him to stall for time so they could escape.

And so, Portgas D. Ace fought with Edward Newgate through sheer willpower alone.

They fought until the Spade Pirates got away. They fought until the mists surrounding the island cleared up. They fought until the area was full of craters. They fought until the sun went down and the moon was high in the sky.

And they fought some more.

 

* * *

 

 

Portgas D. Ace knew that just his willpower alone wasn't enough to defeat Whitebeard. He was exhausted, injured and worst of all, famished. Not exactly a good combination if you wanted to fight the strongest pirate in the world and hope to win.

He also knew that even with his incredible willpower, his strength would still fail him eventually.

And so really, he should have expected that now would be the time he couldn't get up after getting beat down again. He was laying a few feet in front of Whitebeard, and he couldn't even move his fingers.

He was just  _that_  tired.

Ace was sure that to everyone there it looked like he had died, because he was breathing so shallowly that it  _looked_  like he wasn't breathing at all. Maybe now if the Whitebeard Pirates thought he was dead, they would leave him and his sorry ass behind.

 _Yeah right_ , he mentally scoffed.

Besides, he could feel Whitebeard's uninterested stare on his body, as if the man were saying, ' _Is that really all you got, brat?_ ' And if there was one thing Ace hated in the world more than his father, it was being looked down upon by somebody.

' _Move damn it!_ ' he commanded his body.

His finger twitched in reply and slowly, he forced himself to lift his head up as well. Fuck, his body hurt like a bitch from the fight. "So this is the guy who contended for supremacy with  _him_ …" he mumbled to himself. This was the man who fought for the title of Pirate King with…  _Roger_.

Ace grit his teeth so as not to cry out from the pain of his injuries, and clutched at the dirt, forcing his body to get up.

"I won't…" he began, now on his knees and supported by his lower arms.  _Be defeated this easily!_

"Gurararara," Whitebeard laughed, "Still some fight left in you?"

Ace grit his teeth again to ward off the pain and he lifted up his face to stare at the man in defiance. Even if Whitebeard wanted to kill him, Ace wouldn't go down without a proper fight. He would go down fighting, rebelling, and resisting until his very last breath.

"You're too valuable to die now, boy," Whitebeard said instead.

Ace looked at him in shock. … _What?_

"If you still wanna run wild, run as wild as you want on the sea under my name," he continued to speak, and Ace looked away in shame. So, the man was going to spare him as an example for the rest of the world to let them know not to mess with Edward Newgate, was he? That was just–wait. Ace turned to look back at Whitebeard in surprise. The man had knelt down in front of him and extended his hand.

"Become my son!" Whitebeard declared proudly, and Ace felt his mind go blank in shock for a split-second.

But as soon as his mind started working again, he felt the anger build up inside of him easily. A  _father_? Seriously? This man wanted to become his fucking  _father_? Who the fuck did he think he was? Ace didn't need a father. Not now, not  _ever_.

"Screw you!" he yelled, enraged.

That action used the remaining amount of his energy apparently, and Ace felt himself collapse onto the ground again. This time, he couldn't get up and he couldn't stay conscious any longer. He heard the sound of running footsteps drawing nearer and his vision started to grow dark just as a pair of feet came into his sight. Ace felt himself being rolled onto his back by someone, and as he stared into the eyes of that unknown person, he had but one thought before he lost consciousness.

_Huh, whaddya know? They're as blue as the sea._

.


	7. Alone Time With The Injured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome noticed how young he was – from what she had seen of his bounty he was only seventeen, a year younger than her own eighteen years. She noticed how he had freckles splashed on both of his cheeks. She noticed how tall he was. She noticed how nicely muscled his chest was. She noticed how he had a tattoo on his left arm that misspelled his name.
> 
> A drunken mistake, perhaps?
> 
> And lastly, she noticed how undeniably handsome he was.

.

**1st Year, 6 NOV**

.

Marco watched impassively as Kagome ran to Portgas' side after he collapsed for the final time. Frankly, the phoenix was surprised that the kid had managed to last this long against their father, considering that he fought against Jinbe beforehand.  _For 120 hours straight no less._

The sound of thunderous footsteps drawing nearer snapped Marco out of his thoughts, and he smiled at the approaching form of his father.

"How was it, yoi?" he asked pleasantly, following after the man as they headed back towards their ship.

"The kid's got balls, I'll give him that," Whitebeard replied gruffly, "I ask him to become my son, and he yells at me to screw myself."

Marco raised his brow in amusement. The kid definitely had balls. Fucking huge balls in fact. In all the years he had known Whitebeard, the phoenix couldn't think of a single person besides Roger who had treated his father with such disrespect before – that is, until Portgas came along.

"What's your plan for him Oyaji?"

"I told Kagome to bring him aboard," Whitebeard replied with a grin, "That brat's too interesting to let go."

"He's not going to like that, yoi," Marco smiled, "I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to kill you when he wakes up."

Whitebeard's grin only widened, "Bring it on."

* * *

"Where do ya want him Kagome?"

"Over there," Kagome pointed to the cot next to Jinbe's as she entered the medical bay of the Moby Dick.

The two men, who were carrying the stretcher that held Portgas D. Ace, nodded and did as they were told. Once they got Portgas in the cot, they gave Kagome a respectful nod before they left, no doubt going back to their duties.

Kagome let out a soft sigh as she began gathering the supplies necessary for treating his wounds. Once she had everything, she made her way over to him.

As she passed Jinbe's cot, the fishman let out a snort in his sleep. His injuries were not as bad as she had originally expected, and Kagome even supposed that his fishman heritage helped lessen the severity of his burns. After healing him, the only thing that Jinbe needed now was some rest for his exhaustion.

Portgas on the other hand – he was in much, much worse shape.

Sprains, scrapes, slashes, gashes, bruises, internal injuries, broken bones, a concussion and exhaustion were a rough summary of what he had. Kagome honestly couldn't believe how long he had managed to fight against Whitebeard with his body in such a condition.

 _Looks like we have another stubborn idiot on this ship,_  she thought with a sigh.  _As if Jiji wasn't bad enough…_

Once Kagome reached his side, she carefully put down the supplies and stared at him with an impassive look on her face. She noticed how he had a tattoo on his left arm that misspelled his name.

_A drunken mistake, perhaps?_

But no, Kagome was sure that from what she had seen of his temper so far, Portgas wouldn't have let the tattoo artist complete the job. He probably would have killed the person for botching it up instead. And he didn't seem like the type of guy who would vainly spell out the correct pronunciation of one's name. So maybe his tattoo was one of remembrance. It seemed like the most likely option, and one she could empathise with.

Kagome continued in her perusal of him. She noticed how young he was – from what she had seen of his bounty he was only seventeen, a year younger than her own eighteen years. She noticed how he had freckles splashed on both of his cheeks. She noticed how tall he was. She noticed how nicely muscled his chest was.

And lastly, she noticed how undeniably handsome he was.

 _Not that_ that _would mean anything_ , she thought with a faint smile, shaking her head.

Sure Portgas was a handsome fellow, but other than that so what? It wasn't like Kagome was the type of girl who turned into a crazy, googly eyed girl ruled by her hormones every time a handsome man with a hot body came along.

Nope, she definitely wasn't.

In fact, Marco sometimes even liked to joke that Kagome was asexual because of her lack of interest in the opposite sex.

But then again, what did the phoenix know? Obviously no one knew her body better than Kagome herself, and so she could confidently say that she was neither asexual nor a lesbian. She was interested in men. Or, to be more precise – she was interested in a  _man_. Just one. She had even lost her virginity to him.

But now after everything that's happened… Kagome supposed she wasn't that interested in romance anymore.

Another snort from Jinbe's cot snapped her out of her musings.

Kagome let out a sheepish laugh, shaking her head. What was she doing? Now wasn't the time to be thinking about all this. She had a patient that needed to be treated first. And if she still wanted to reminisce, then she could do it after she helped him, couldn't she?

* * *

Portgas didn't so much as twitch during the whole time Kagome treated him. When she swabbed a stinging antiseptic over his open wounds, he didn't react. When she bound his broken ribs, he didn't react. Even when she reset his broken bones, he didn't react.

 _That guy is either the heaviest sleeper I've ever known, or he's just that tired_ , Kagome thought in amusement, watching him with a critical eye.

 _Nope, he's just that tired._  She smiled faintly, shaking her head. Time to get back to work. There was still plenty much to be done. Basically, all Kagome had just done was disinfect his wounds and reset his broken bones.

Now came the actual healing part.

Without wasting another moment, Kagome headed over to her desk and took out a small metal tub. It was around the size of a dishpan and was generally used by people to soak their towels in to clean their face. Then she filled it with water and carried it over to the dresser beside Portgas' cot. On the way she grabbed a chair using her free hand and once she set the tub on the dresser, she pulled the chair beside the bed and sat down.

Then, she put her hand in the water.

Taking a brief moment to focus, Kagome then lifted her hand out of the tub. While this action seemed fairly ordinary, there was something unordinary about it as well. It wasn't only her hand that came out of the tub.

The water did too.

Indeed, the water was forming some sort of protective cocoon around her hand and while it vaguely resembled a gooey type of glob, if one were to touch it however, they would find out that it was just ordinary water.

No special tricks. Nothing. Just water.

Kagome placed her hand over Portgas' torso and closed her eyes. She exhaled deeply, concentrating on her power. Once she was ready, she opened her eyes and the water in her hand started to glow.

 _This_  was why she was the doctor.

She had the ability to neutralize poisons and heal anything ranging from the minor to the critically injured. On a very slim chance, she might also be able to heal those who were fatally wounded. But, she couldn't restore lost body parts, and neither could she bring back the dead. Also, Kagome couldn't go on healing so many people at once. She had her limit, as healing people drained her energy. If she healed too many, she might end up fainting. Or in the worst case, dying.

Kagome wasn't God with her abilities, though some people seemed to think so. Hence why they called her  _Shinou._

First, she would heal all of Portgas' internal injuries. Next would be the broken bones, the open wounds and finally the bruises. Then when she was done she could finally head back to hers and Marco's room for some well-deserved rest.

 _At least, I hope so,_  she thought with a tired sigh as she continued.  _Please don't let me pass out by the end of this healing session._

Healing internal injuries on a person was tricky business and needed precise energy control along with every bit of concentration she had. If Kagome were even the slightest bit distracted, she might make a mistake and possibly screw up the person's injured organ or his circulatory system for life.

A daunting consequence, to say the least.

Once she was done with his internal injuries, she moved on to his broken bones, which was also tricky business. Healing cracks in the bones wasn't as easy as it sounded. Then, she started on his open wounds. Finally, it was just down to his bruises and as Kagome watched her glowing hand, she felt something shift in the air.

She paused, depositing the water back into the tub and from the corner of her eye she noticed a flicker of movement.

Jinbe was awake. And he was watching her.

"Hello Jinbe-san," she greeted with a polite smile, "How are you feeling?"

The fishman sat up from his cot and shrugged his shoulders experimentally. Once he was satisfied with the results, he nodded to himself before he turned to face her with an intrigued expression on his face.

"Your work I'm guessing?" He indicated to his healed body.

She nodded. "I'm Kagome, the doctor aboard the Moby Dick."

"Thank you Kagome-san," he replied courteously, "Do you know where Oyaji-san is?"

"He should be with Marco in the captain's quarters. I'll take you to him if you want," she paused and glanced down at Portgas, "Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to finish healing him first."

Jinbe nodded and remained seated on the bed.

He watched with narrowed eyes as Kagome dipped her hand into the water again before holding it over Portgas. He continued to watch as the water surrounding her hand started to glow and what was previously injured was healed.

"Interesting ability," he commented.

Kagome glanced up, slightly surprised that he had even spoken to her.

"Thank you," she replied slowly, unsure of his intentions.

"Devil Fruit?"

She gave his question a brief moment of consideration.

"It gives me the ability to heal myself and others." She worded her answer carefully, having been asked this same question many times before over the past two years. And though some would have disagreed with her answer, Kagome knew that what she said about her abilities was true – from a certain point of view.

"Does it drain your energy?" Jinbe asked politely.

Kagome nodded. "If I'm not careful, it could kill me."

Jinbe hummed to himself. "I see," he murmured, staring at the floor. After a minute or so, he looked up to meet her eyes, and it took all of Kagome's willpower not to flinch under his intense stare.

Marco's stare she could handle, but not  _this_.

"…Do not assume that I'm a fool  _Shinou_ , because I can assure you I most certainly am not," he began in a calm voice, and though Kagome didn't lose control over the water in her hand, she felt her heartbeat quicken at his use of her old nickname.

He knew who she was.  _He knew who she was._

"I know perfectly well what you are capable of and what your full abilities are," he continued on with a meaningful look in her direction, "And I have to say, I never expected to find someone like you here in Oyaji-san's crew."

Kagome looked away.

"…You won't tell anyone, will you?" she questioned softly.

"…I won't," he stated softly, and Kagome felt herself looking at him in surprise, "You have helped me, and I may be a Marine's lapdog, but I still have my pride. You have my word that your identity is safe with me."

"…Thank you Jinbe-san," Kagome said at last.

"No need to thank me Kagome-san," he replied, and the raven-haired woman couldn't be sure if he was smiling or grimacing at her. She nodded and then went back to healing Portgas, and the two did not speak again until she was done.

"I'll take you to see Jiji now," she informed him softly.

Jinbe nodded and got out of bed. He slipped on his clogs and followed Kagome out of the doorway. There were very few people on deck now and Jinbe's wooden clogs seemed especially loud clattering against the floor.

As they headed for Whitebeard's room side by side, Jinbe spoke up.

"…Why did you retire?"

Kagome paused in mid-step and he stopped with her.

Around three years back, as one of the famed  _Three Kings_ of the Silver Dog Pirates, Kagome had undoubtedly been one of the strongest rookies in the New World. She'd had quite a future ahead of her but soon after the death of her captain, she just gave everything up and  _vanished_  from the world.

Jinbe had never heard about her again. Until now.

And he wanted to know why.

He watched her silently as she considered his question. There was a strange expression on her face; one torn between nostalgia, sadness and guilt, and Jinbe didn't understand the reason behind it.

After a moment or two, that expression faded and Kagome resumed walking.

Jinbe watched her take a few steps forward with a pensive look on his face before he followed after her towards Whitebeard's room. And this time, he didn't speak up to remind her that she didn't answer his question.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we finally get a glimpse of Kagome's powers.
> 
> Her nickname, Shinou, literally translates into God King. I apologise if it sounds cliche or lame or anything, but I think it fits. She's a person who spends most of her life at sea, and she has water-based powers that were strong enough to influence currents/waves and make the ship travel a lot faster. So yeah, everyone who knew that Kagome has this power would undoubtedly dub her a God.
> 
> Ryuuou translates into Dragon King and the last of The Three Kings is called Maou, which translates into Demon King. I won't reveal who the other Kings are but I will tell you this. Both of them are Inuyasha characters.
> 
> We also got more insight into Kagome's backstory here. She was originally part of the Silver Dog Pirates, but left because something she did led to the death of her captain, the mysterious him she keeps referring to.
> 
> Also, all of The Three Kings are members of the Silver Dog Pirates.


	8. Into Babysitting They Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco levelled a lazy stare at his father. "You give me the worst orders, yoi."
> 
> Whitebeard laughed, "Because I know you're able to handle it."
> 
> "So if Marco is in charge of Portgas…" Kagome drawled, "… Then I take it he's rooming with us?"

.

**1st Year, 7 NOV**

.

Marco was having a pleasant chat with Whitebeard when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Jiji, you still up in there?" a voice that Marco knew all too well asked from behind the large wooden door, "It's Kagome here. Jinbe-san's awake and I've brought him to see you like you wanted."

Marco furrowed his eyes slightly.

Call him paranoid or overly sensitive all you want, but there was something…  _off_  about Kagome. The phoenix didn't know how he knew or why he knew. He just  _knew_  that there was something wrong.

"Come in," Whitebeard called out, and the door clicked open.

Kagome stepped inside with Jinbe following closely behind, and Marco felt a twinge of concern in his chest when he saw her eyes. There was a look in them that only appeared whenever she thought about a certain part of her past.

Faintly, Marco wondered what happened that would cause her to remember it.

Kagome walked up to stand beside Marco and when he turned to look at her, she could see the slight concern in his eyes.  _What happened? Are you all right?_

Sometimes, it unnerved her how he could be so perceptive of her moods.

She shook her head and smiled softly at him in reassurance.  _It's nothing. Don't worry about it._

The phoenix didn't look convinced in the least, but when Kagome turned her attention back to Whitebeard, he regarded her for a moment longer before following as well. They kept silent and listened to Jinbe's conversation with the old man.

"Thank you for your help Oyaji-san," Jinbe said with a respectful bow.

Whitebeard shook his head. "No need to thank me son. More importantly… how are you feeling? Anything still injured?"

Jinbe smiled dryly, "Just my pride."

Whitebeard returned his smile, though there wasn't sarcasm behind it. "The new generation is getting stronger, isn't it?" he commented to the other three present in the room. Both Marco and Jinbe sneaked a glance at Kagome after he said that.  _How true._

"I agree, yoi," Marco agreed up with a faint smile.

"And how's that brat doing Kagome?" Whitebeard asked curiously.

The raven-haired woman looked at the aged pirate in mild irritation. "He's fine now, but did you have to beat him up  _that_  badly Jiji?" she answered with an easy roll of her eyes, "The kid was in horrible shape when the men brought him in."

Whitebeard grinned unrepentantly. "I  _did_  go easy on the 'kid'. If I didn't, he'd be dead."

Kagome sighed in exasperation and turned to the man at her side. "Marco, help me out here," she requested, "When Portgas came in, he had a bad concussion, a broken collarbone, a broken wrist, a broken leg, five cracked ribs, four broken, internal bleeding in both his mild and major organs, a hell of a lot of lacerations and bruising all over his body. How is  _that_  going easy on him Jiji?"

The phoenix raised his hands in mock surrender. "Leave me out of this, yoi. I'm neutral."

Kagome glared at him. "Coward…" she groused.

"Gurararara, but you know I'm right Kagome…"

She nodded seriously. "Yeah, I know that. It's just…" her voice trailed off, and though she didn't say more, Whitebeard understood. " _Kagome doesn't like any unnecessary violence. Strangers, allies, friends, loved ones; it doesn't matter to her,"_ Marco had told him.

"Son," he began, looking at Jinbe, "What do you plan to do now?"

Jinbe took a moment to think before he replied. "I'd like to re-join my men, Oyaji-san."

Whitebeard raised his brow. "You sure?" he said slowly, "You know you can stay here until you recover."

The fishman nodded. "I know Oyaji-san, and your kindness is appreciated. But, I'd still like to leave."

"All right, if that's what you want…" he hummed.

"Then I'll be leaving now, Oyaji-san," Jinbe nodded respectfully.

"You need an escort, son?"

He shook his head. "I know the way. Thank you again Oyaji-san, Kagome-san, Marco-san." He looked them in the eyes as he said their names. Then, he turned around headed towards the door. Even after he left the room, the remaining three were able to hear the faint sounds of his clogs heading down the corridor.

"Well now…" Marco let out a soft sigh, "Wasn't that fun?"

Kagome smiled slightly in amusement. "I think he's just bitter that his fight with Portgas ended in a draw. I'm sure he'll be back to his usual self in no time. Unless of course, that  _was_  his usual self…"

She turned to Marco for clarification, but he only smiled enigmatically.

"Son, once he's off the ship, give the orders for the men to set sail," Whitebeard informed his first division commander, "I'd like us away from this island and back on our previous route as soon as possible."

"Got it Oyaji," Marco nodded.

"And ask those on lookout duty to be careful. Those Spade Pirates don't seem like the type to surrender their captain so easily," Whitebeard said with a huge grin, "They might try and get him back."

Marco nodded. "If they do?"

"Bring 'em aboard. Our family's always got room for more." The old man looked positively pleased at the thought of even more sons to call his own.

"And what about Portgas?" Kagome asked softly, "Do you still want him to stay in the infirmary, or move him someplace else?"

Whitebeard was silent for a moment, thinking of his answer.

"I was hoping to assign Marco to look out for him…" he finally stated, much to the surprise of the phoenix, "I can't let any of the other men watch him. He's a rookie, but he's a strong little shit, full of untapped potential. They won't be able to handle his Devil Fruit. You're the best man for the job."

Marco levelled a lazy stare at his father. "You give me the worst orders, yoi."

Whitebeard laughed, "Because I know you're able to handle it."

"So if Marco is in charge of Portgas…" Kagome drawled, "… Then I take it he's rooming with us?"

"Only if you're both fine with it," he replied easily.

She let out an easy shrug. "I don't really mind, but…" her voice trailed off and she turned to Marco. The two looked at each other in a silent communication and after a few moments they turned back to Whitebeard.

"It's all right with us Jiji," she told him.

"Thanks you two," he replied sincerely.

Marco cracked a wry smile. "We couldn't refuse you even if we wanted to, yoi," he joked, before turning serious. "Well, I'll go and relay the orders to the men. You should rest now Oyaji. You've had a long day."

Whitebeard nodded. "All right."

"Goodnight Jiji," Kagome smiled, before she and Marco headed out the door.

 

* * *

 

Once Marco had given the men their orders, he and Kagome headed towards the medical bay. Along the way, the phoenix noticed the raven-haired woman yawning and occasionally swaying in her stride.

He raised his brow. "Tired, yoi?"

She nodded, using her hand to cover her mouth as she yawned again. "It's been a while since I used my powers this much. My body's a little out of practice," she replied, trying to blink away her exhaustion.

Using her abilities continually on such an enormous scale for an entire day, not to mention healing Portgas and Jinbe, it was no wonder she was burned out.

"You want to head back to our room first?"

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I think I can handle being awake for 15 more minutes," she told him with a wry smile.

The two arrived at the medical bay and it took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the dimness of it. Portgas was still lying where Kagome had left him, and on further inspection, she could confidently say that he hadn't moved  _at all_. Not even to toss or turn in his sleep. If she didn't see the rise and fall motion of his chest, she would have thought he was dead.

"Is he all healed up now?" Marco asked, eying Portgas with a lazy gaze.

"Yeah. Now he just needs to sleep it off," Kagome replied tiredly.

Without another word, Marco strode over the Portgas and lifted him up, bridal style. And the two made such a hot picture together that Kagome tried not to grin at the dirty images developing in her head.

Although she wasn't interested in romance, it didn't mean that she was blind.

It was clear to all that Portgas was extremely handsome. And though she wasn't attracted to him in  _that_  way, Marco wasn't that bad looking himself either. So, the point was, even someone like Kagome could appreciate the sight of two hot men together. And why couldn't she?

The woman just didn't find it disgusting for two men to sleep together.

Life on he seas for over a decade had stripped her of quite a few morals. Pirate crews were usually made out of men, and they would be sailing for as long as several months without land or women in sight. If they ever developed any  _urges_  during those long months out, they would either got really acquainted with their hands or would sought to curb that urge with their crewmates in a friends with benefits sort of situation.

It was mostly for sex, though some people did end up falling in love.

Kagome smiled slightly as she recalled two of her male nakama from her previous crew that had fallen in love after having one such relationship. They had gotten together before she left them, and based on the letter that she received from her old crew the other day, their relationship was still going strong.

"You coming?" Marco called from the doorway of the medical bay, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Kagome smiled. "Yeah."

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have Kagome and Marco being assigned as Ace's babysitters. It's kind of inspired by the concept of a 'sea daddy', whereby an older man was assigned to a young boy in the navy, typically a cabin boy/powder monkey/etc, to teach them the ropes and act as a support system.
> 
> Ace already knows about life on a pirate ship, so this is more of a 'keep him out of trouble' duty.
> 
> As for Kagome's backstory... She was originally part of the Silver Dog Pirates, but left because something she did led to the death of her captain, the mysterious him that she keeps referring to. :)
> 
> And that last part about men sleeping together... Kagome in this story isn't wary or fearful of homosexuality because of the life she lives. Like she explains, pirates crews made up of mostly men spend a lot of time on sea so this is a fairly common occurrence to her. (The two men who are in a mentioned by Kagome to be in a relationship are both Inuyasha characters.)
> 
> I hope the homosexuality doesn't make anyone uncomfortable. And I'll just get this out of the way now. I am a bisexual girl, so I will be writing/including LGBT elements in the future. Sorry but my mind is made up. If you don't like it, you're allowed to stop reading it. No one's forcing you here.
> 
> PS: My personal headcanon for this fic is that Marco is bi. :P


	9. Sleep Is For The Weak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Marco-chan," Kagome began, and ignored the soft growl of annoyance from the man, "allow me to clue you in on something about your pirate crew. Every. Single. Member. Of The. Damn Whitebeard Pirates cannot understand the meaning of the phrase holding back," she stressed with a roll of her eyes. "Am I wrong?"

.

**1st Year, 7 NOV**

.

As Kagome and Marco walked down the corridor to their shared room with Portgas in his arms, Kagome could practically feel the weight of the stares from the many men still working on deck. She could also faintly hear their whispering as she and Marco passed by them.

Marco stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Get back to work, yoi," he barked, levelling them with a serious look.

The men paled and quickly scrambled back to work. They knew Marco well enough to tell when he was short of losing his temper. And like they said before – Marco-taichou was scary as fuck when he was pissed off.

"Cut them some slack. They're just curious Marco," Kagome told him diplomatically.

Marco's stern face relaxed into a smile. "I know, yoi."

Kagome raised a brow, but didn't say anything more. Marco probably acted like he lost his temper to mess with them, as he was sometimes fond of doing. Though he may not show it, that man had one hell of a weird sense of humour.

It sometimes even crossed the lines of pure sadism.

The two pirates reached their room and Kagome entered first to light the oil lamps while Marco stayed at the doorway. His gaze flickered from his side of the room to Kagome's, taking note of all their belongings on each respective side. Once the lamps were lit, he strode over to Kagome's bed, gently lay Portgas down – he wasn't so mean as to just dump the kid on the bed – and covered him with a blanket.

"…You should move your belongings to my drawers, yoi," Marco began softly, "The two on the bottom are empty."

Kagome looked at him with surprised eyes. "…You sure?"

She had to ask. She had to make sure that Marco had really said that, and that she wasn't just hearing things. Because until a year ago, those two bottom drawers had not been empty. They had contained the belongings of his lover. She was a person that Marco had truly and deeply loved, and her death had broken something in him. It had taken months for him to be able to smile again, to feel again, to live again.

And now, to ask her to put her things into  _those_  drawers…

Marco nodded. "Yeah. No point in them being empty. The purpose to having a drawer is for you to store your things in them, yoi," he smiled wryly, "And since Portgas is commandeering your side of the room, it's natural that he use your drawers for his stuff."

Kagome eyed him uncertainly.

"Also," Marco's smile turned a little sad, "I would prefer it if you were the one to use those drawers, not him."

There was a moment of silence between them as Kagome considered his request.

"… I just can't say no to you, can I?" she finally said with a sigh, "Both to you  _and_  Jiji."'

"That's true, yoi."

She raised her brow at him and started emptying her drawers. "It was a rhetorical question Marco."

The phoenix smiled wryly, "I know."

Then, without saying another word, he took off his shirt and placed it neatly on the chair by his desk. Next came his belt, sash and leg-wrap, and they joined his shirt on the chair. Finally, he took off his sandals and placed them at the foot of the bed before climbing in. He lay down on his side with his head propped up by his hand and watched silently as Kagome moved from one end of the room to the other, transferring her stuff.

And when the task was completed, he continued to watch even as she started changing for bed.

The shirt, pants were folded and placed in a neat pile at the foot of the bed along with her boots. The next to go was the bra. Marco got a brief look at the sight of Kagome's beautifully decorated body before it was hidden under an old shirt.

"Ready for bed now, yoi?" Marco spoke up once she was done and as she climbed in, he moved to make room for her.

"Am I  _ever_ …" she sighed in relief, and let out a soft hum of approval as he spooned her from behind. Kagome felt the steady rhythm of Marco's steady heartbeat on her back and she closed her eyes. Soon, her breathing evened out and Marco knew she was fast asleep.

"Goodnight Kagome," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.

Then, he closed his eyes, and after a while, he too slipped into slumber.

 

* * *

 

Marco came awake to the sound of someone knocking on his door.

"Marco-taichou? You up?" a voice called out softly as the rapping stopped.

"Yeah," the phoenix replied in a tone loud enough to be heard from the outside, before carefully extracting himself from the sleeping girl in his arms. As he did so, his eyes glanced at the clock. Only a few hours had passed. There could only be one reason for the men to bother him this early.

Portgas' crew.

As Marco put on his clothes, he saw Kagome stir from their bed.

"Marco?" Her voice still sounded heavy with sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Probably the Spade Pirates coming to take back their captain," he replied honestly, finding nothing wrong in her knowing. Though a pirate he may be, he wasn't the kind of man to lie, and especially not to her.

"It's not a big deal. Go back to sleep, yoi," he added as an afterthought.

When he did not hear her reply, he turned to head towards the door, thinking that it was the end of it. But really, the phoenix should have known better, considering that it was Kagome here.

"The hell it's not," he finally heard her mutter. She didn't sound sleepy anymore.

The floorboards creaked as she got out of bed and Marco turned to regard her as she changed into her usual attire. Kagome was in the middle of tying on her boots when she paused, noticing her companion staring at her with his brow raised in a silent question.

She sighed softly.

"Marco- _chan_ ," she began, still focused on her task, and ignored the soft growl of annoyance from the man, "Allow me to clue you in on something about your pirate crew. Every.  _Single_. Member. Of The. Damn Whitebeard Pirates cannot understand the meaning of the phrase  _holding back_ ," she stressed with a roll of her eyes. "Am I wrong?"

Marco's mouth tugged upwards into a reluctant smile and he shook his head – they didn't indeed.

"In fact, holding back for you guys probably means a completely different thing compared to normal people. So…" her voice trailed off thoughtfully as put on her shirt, "in a nutshell, the Whitebeard Pirates are going to go all out, the Spade Pirates are going to go all out, and that equals a battleground of epic proportions. You'll need me to heal everyone's injuries."

Marco looked into her eyes. "You're not tired, yoi?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I'm tired all right. But is that little fact going to make you guys change your minds about controlling yourselves?" she asked him dryly, and when he didn't reply, she continued on, "I didn't think so. But I  _should_  have enough energy left not to pass out after healing everybody. The sleep did me some good."

Marco stared at her, unconvinced.

"Kagome, you know you don't have to do this if you're too tired—" he opened his mouth to reply, but never got the chance to finish. Both of them swayed a little as they felt the ship suddenly shake.

They'd been hit.

"Marco-taichou, you there?" The knocking continued again. "Our starboard's been hit and the others are already fighting."

Marco cast a glance at Portgas' dark form over on the other side of the room – he was still dead to the world – before making his way towards the door. He felt Kagome following behind him but said nothing, having resigned himself to her getting her way, as she always did. He opened the door and stepped outside, and the several crewmembers standing there greeted him respectfully.

Marco assigned a few of them to stand guard over Portgas before they started moving down the corridor to the part of the ship where the attack was. And as they walked the rest dutifully reported on the situation.

Pretty soon the group arrived outside and at the battle zone, the main deck.

Marco stood by the sidelines and calmly took in the situation while the crewmembers that were with him immediately ran off to join in on the battle. The phoenix was able to recognize those from his side out of the many men that were fighting in the battle, and it looked like all of his brothers were having fun. Also, he could see that none of the other commanders there had joined in yet, preferring to stand aside like some of the men were doing and just watch the fun.

Well, Marco wasn't going to be one of those men.

In his opinion, there was nothing more soothing for the soul than a good rough and tumble every once in a while.

Marco walked forward and readied himself to change into his phoenix form, but paused when he heard Kagome call his name. He turned around to look at her, slightly surprised that she hadn't entered the battle yet to heal the wounded.

She smiled tiredly. "Try not to kill anyone for me, would you? I know it means less work for me, but…"

The phoenix didn't need to reply her with things like, 'I won't' or 'I promise'. He didn't even need to say a single word for his meaning to get across. He simply looked into her eyes and Kagome immediately fell silent.

She had her answer. "Thanks."

Marco returned her smile with his own and he reached out to touch her cheek tenderly. Kagome didn't lean in to his touch, and neither did she shy away. She just looked at him with those captivating blue eyes of hers.

"Don't overexert yourself, yoi," he reminded softly as he let his hand fall.

She nodded once, before stepping back and running to the nearest injured man she could see. Marco watched her start to heal the man before he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

His inner phoenix was getting riled up from all the fighting going on and wanted out to be let out. Marco didn't waste another second. He readily surrendered to the call of his Devil Fruit and set the phoenix free. He felt the familiar blue flames tickling at his fingers before enveloping up his entire body. He felt skin give way to feathers of the softest texture, felt his neck elongate and felt his mouth stretch out into a beak.

Within the span of a few seconds, Marco stood in the full glory of his phoenix form.

There were some cries of shock from the Spade Pirates near him, while his own crew cheered in delight. Marco paid them all no mind, as his gaze was focused on the raven-haired woman bent over the prone form of an injured pirate. She looked up when she felt his stare on her, and a soft smile curved on her lips.

"Have fun," she mouthed to him.

Marco smirked and nodded once, before spreading his wings.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously, I said that there was a gay couple in this story universe and that they were both Inuyasha characters. Well, the characters are Jakotsu and Bankotsu. My guess is they'll probably be making an appearance around Part 10.
> 
> Now, about this chapter.
> 
> So not only are Kagome and Marco babysitting Ace, he's also going to be rooming with them! The issue of them sleeping in the same bed even though they're not lovers will be brought up in the future.
> 
> Although Kagome and Marco's behaviour with each other can be considered romantic, I can assure you that it's not. I'm serious here. The whole time I was plotting this monster fic, it never occurred to me to make their relationship romantic. Because it didn't feel right.
> 
> In a sense, Marco and Kagome are soulmates, kindred spirits, who aren't romantically or sexually attracted to one another. It is completely platonic on both ends. Yes, they are aware that the other is good looking, but to put it crudely there hasn't even been one single moment where they looked at each other and thought, "Mm, I would tap that."
> 
> I think I described their relationship as something like this a few chapters back.
> 
> Both of them have loved someone deeply and with all of their heart. But events happened in a way that ended up with their previous someones dying. The two feel immense pain and guilt over their deaths, because they feel like it was their fault. They constantly wonder about the 'What Ifs?'.
> 
> Like "If I did this faster, could I have saved her?" or "If I had never fought with The Dragon, would he have died?"
> 
> I've probably said this a lot too, but Marco and Kagome understand what the other is going through in a way no one else on the crew does because of that loss. It's primarily why they're get along so well. Even though they're not lovers, that doesn't stop them from taking platonic comfort from each other. *laughs*
> 
> Also, I think that if they were ever to enter a relationship with each other, it wouldn't work out in the long run.
> 
> Because although Marco and Kagome love each other, they can never fully be what the other needs. To use a metaphor, they're like the same jigsaw shape, and no matter how hard they try to fit together, they won't. They need someone else, a different jigsaw shape, to complete them.


	10. Hell - It Must Be Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Thatch blabbed on obliviously about the rules of their ship, Ace stood up and felt his hand growing red hot in preparation for turning into fire. That guy named Thatch wanted to look down on him did he? Ace would give him something to look down on – his own humiliation from defeat. He would give that man a good whooping with his Hiken and after that let the Whitebeard Pirates reconsider whether he needed shackles or not.
> 
> As he readied himself to attack, Ace felt a hand clamp down on his arm.
> 
> "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he heard a lazy voice speak from beside him.

.

**1st Year, 10 NOV**

.

Portgas D. Ace was in heaven.

Or at least, he thought he was.

He felt warm – but it was the good sort of warm that left you wanting for more. He felt well rested – it was the best sleep he's had in years. He felt comfortable – the bed he was lying in was soft, and he knew it wasn't his own bed because it didn't feel this comfy, or smell this nice.

Ace inhaled deeply, filling his nostrils with the sweet scent.

It smelt of the ocean, and of home, but underneath it all the scent unmistakably belonged to… a woman?

He shot up from bed as memories flooded his mind – fighting with Jinbe, meeting Whitebeard, fighting Whitebeard to let his crew escape, getting his ass kicked by Whitebeard, the aged pirate asking him to become his son, and the blurry image of blue eyes.

Had that last part been a hallucination?

Ace rubbed his temples wearily. He couldn't be sure. Back then, he had been too tired and too injured to think logically, so he wouldn't be surprised in the least if it  _had_  been something he cooked up in a delirium.

 _Stop wondering about that. Focus on the present_ , his logical side reminded.

Ace stopped rubbing his temples and looked around the room he was in.

He was on a ship out on the ocean, but he knew he wasn't on  _his_  ship, and there could only be one possible place for him to be at now – it was also the one place he would rather die than be at, but still, a guy could hope, couldn't he?

The room was big – as big as the captain's quarters on his own ship – bare and surprisingly tidy.

There was another bed at the other side of the room and it looked well slept in, so Ace knew that he had a roommate. A chest of drawers was beside the bed, and there was also a desk with a chair near the bed. Documents were stacked in neat piles on the desk, and there was a porthole directly above it. But that was about it for furniture. Ace already said that the room was bare, didn't he?

His eyes travelled over the walls in the room. A clock, bare, bare, bare and a flag which hung high on the wall, near the ceiling.

 _Well, shit_ , Ace thought bluntly. There was no mistaking that Jolly Roger.

Whitebeard's mark.

Ace grit his teeth in frustration.  _Great_ , he was now a captive on that man's ship like some pansy-assed damsel in distress.

How utterly humiliating. If Luffy could see him now, he would be laughing his ass off. Or trying to rescue him. Either way, both choices made Ace as embarrassed as hell to think about it because he wasn't a freaking damsel damn it!

He could take care of himself!

 _Oh yeah, getting yourself captured is a_ great _way of taking care of yourself_ , a voice whispered.

 _Shut it_ , he growled back, and fortunately, the voice listened to him.

The following silence in his head gave Ace the peace to plan out his next moves. Okay first he would find out what happened to his crew. Next, he would kill Whitebeard, find a boat and get the hell off of this ship if his injuries didn't slow him down. Then he would–

Wait a minute…

Ace blinked before he started checking his bodies for injuries. Surprise blossomed on his freckled face when he realized that he was in perfect condition. Other than the muck and grime, there wasn't a single bruise or scratch on his body.

What the hell? Exactly how long had he been out for?

He was sure that before he passed out, he had been in seriously bad shape from the beating he got from Whitebeard. So unless he had been sleeping for a week or more, there could not be a plausible reason for him to be completely healed.

So how…?

His expression hardened. Instead of just thinking about all the possible theories, why not actually get his answers by asking someone from the Whitebeard Pirates? It saved him hell a lot of time and was also considerably easier. But at the expense of his pride…

 _No_ , he thought,  _I need answers and I need them now!_

Without wasting another moment to rethink his decision, Ace kicked off the covers and headed towards the door. Opening it led him into a long hallway and it took some time for him to find the door leading to where he hopefully believed was the main deck.

It creaked loudly as he opened it, and Ace found himself wincing at the blinding sunlight that streamed through. He lifted his hand to try and block off the worst of the sun's rays, and walked forward to the railing. There was a faint breeze in the air that was refreshingly cool for a hot day such as this, and for a moment Ace closed his eyes in bliss, savouring the wind that seemed to caress his face.

He opened them again to stare past the railing, and felt his heart grow heavy.

Ocean. Extending as far as the eye could see.

Ace turned around dazedly and felt the strength leave his legs. Finally, they grew too weak to support him anymore and he landed unceremoniously on his butt. He didn't seem bothered by it and instead hunched over, bringing his hands up to his head.

He was screwed.

There weren't any islands in sight, and even if he wanted to escape, he wouldn't know where to head to because for starters, Ace had absolutely no idea where he was. How was he supposed to escape to the nearest island when he didn't know where it was?

The log pose on his arm wouldn't be much help, and a map on the Grand Line was pretty useless too.

 _Should I just choose a random direction and set sail?_  Ace wondered, and took a moment to reconsider. Finally he shook his head in refusal.  _No, if I did that, it'd simply be like suicide. Fuck!_

"Hey!" a voice called, snapping Ace out of his thoughts.

He looked up immediately, ready for battle if the person wanted to pick a fight. He blinked in mild surprise to see the guy who had laughed at him when Whitebeard deflected his Hiken attack – the guy with that ridiculous pompadour hairstyle.

"I'm the 4th division commander," he introduced before taking a few steps backwards. "Thatch."

Ace didn't reply and instead looked at him with slight curiosity. Why was that guy introducing himself to him in a manner that made them seem like buddies? Wasn't Ace supposed to be their enemy? Didn't they care that he wanted to kill their captain?

"If you're gonna join us," Thatch continued, jumping up on the rail and crossing his legs, "We should become friends."

"Shut up!" Ace immediately yelled back, before bringing his hands up to his head again. Shit, what was it with that guy? Who wanted to join their crew? Who wanted to become friends with him? Ace sure as hell didn't!

Thatch only laughed.

"So you're grumpy when you wake up?" he asked jovially, "Oh yeah, you wanna know what happened after you passed out? I'll tell you. Your crew came to get you back, so we beat the hell out of them."

Ace flinched.  _Fuck, what did they do that for?! I told them not to get me!_

"But don't worry, they're not dead," Thatch told him in a way Ace guessed was meant to be reassuring, "They're on this ship too."

Ace could not describe the relief that he felt when he heard that. His men were still alive! But of course, he couldn't let that guy know how much his words had affected him. He sure as hell wouldn't show weakness in front of his enemies.

"Don't you have to put me in cuffs or shackles?" he asked instead.

Thatch raised his brow in amusement. "Shackles? We don't need them!"

The way he said it made Ace grit his teeth in anger. What did that mean? That he was too weak to be of a threat to the Whitebeard Pirates? That they were too strong to be bothered by him? Either way, both answers made him pissed off.

While Thatch blabbed on obliviously about the rules of their ship, Ace stood up and felt his hand growing red hot in preparation for turning into fire. That guy named Thatch wanted to look down on him did he? Ace would give him something to look down on – his own humiliation from defeat. He would give that man a good whooping with his  _Hiken_  and after that let the Whitebeard Pirates reconsider whether he needed shackles or not.

He raised his steadily flaming fist at the grinning guy, who was talking without a care in the world.

As he readied himself to attack, Ace felt a hand clamp down on his arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, yoi," he heard a lazy voice speak from beside him.

Ace growled in frustration and turned to give a death glare at the newcomer for ruining his plans. Because of that interruption, Thatch had noticed what he was trying to do and was now watching the two of them with amusement.

The newcomer merely raised his eyebrow at Ace's glare, unaffected in the least.

"Let go," Ace grit out, struggling against the hold on his arm. Fuck, but the man was strong.

"Not until you promise not to do that again, yoi," he replied softly.

"What am I? Twelve?" Ace retorted. " _Let go._ "

The man refused to obey, staring at Ace calmly and waiting for him to speak. Oh, well, Ace had already told the man twice to let go. It would be entirely his own fault when he got burned. And so, without a word of warning Ace lit up his whole arm in flames.

He expected the man to let go immediately.

He had not expected, however, for blue flames to erupt on the man's own hand that intermingled with his own orange flames. Ace's eyes grew wide and he found himself coughing as he choked on his own saliva. "W-what?! How?"

How the hell could that man have fire? That couldn't have been another Mera Mera user!

"Curious?" the man asked with a self-satisfied smile.

Ace almost nodded dumbly in reply, but at the last moment he remembered himself and stopped. He was the famed Hiken no Ace, super rookie and captain of the Spade Pirates, not some idiot child who's curiosity got the better of his pride.

"As if!" he snapped angrily, jerking uselessly at his arm again.

This time, the blonde man let go with an amused laugh. He was joined by Thatch, who also seemed to find this situation funny. Ace felt his face heat up – no matter who it was, he always hated it when people laughed at him.

It was as if they were mocking him.

Ace didn't care if the Whitebeard Pirates killed him, he was going to make two of them pay for–

"Marco, Thatch. Stop messing with the new guy already."

Huh?

Ace blinked in surprise. The voice came from behind him. And it didn't sound like a man, it sounded like a woman. Ace turned around to see a woman walking towards him and his eyes grew wide in recognition.

She was dark haired and beautiful – frightfully so – and at least a head shorter than him.

She was wearing clothes that did nothing to hide her figure – a white buttoned up shirt with long sleeves and tightfitting brown pants with knee high boots. And embarrassingly, Ace could even make out the outlines of a black-coloured bra under that white shirt of hers, along with some indiscernible shape in red at her right hip.  _A tattoo maybe?_ There was a waterskin strapped to her belt on the right side, while a sword was strapped to her left. Although Ace was no swordsman he could tell it was of a fine craftsmanship.

But it wasn't all of that that made her recognizable to him.

No, it was her eyes.

Ace knew those eyes.

There was no way he could forget eyes the colour of the sea.

.


	11. Only The Beginning Of Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know Portgas," Kagome began lightly, snapping him out of his reverie, "You're the second person I've met who's said that to me."

.

**1st Year, 10 NOV**

.

The raven-haired woman came to a stop in front of Ace and smiled disarmingly. And while a normal testosterone filled guy might have swooned from a smile by a beauty such as her, Ace wasn't exactly a normal guy. He could tell that there was something  _else_  to her smile.

Years of having to put on a fake smile himself in the presence of others had taught him how to tell the difference between a fake one and a real one.

And hers most certainly was a fake. Which led him to the question of  _why_.

"It's good to see you finally awake Portgas," said the woman, still smiling that fake smile, "You've been out like a light for the past three days."

Ace's eyes grew wide in surprise – but not for the reason most people would think. He already knew that he had to have slept for some time in order for his injuries to completely heal, but he had expected for it to be a much longer time than that.

Not just a mere three days.

"Only three days?" he repeated out loud, "But what about my—" he stopped himself before he could say more. Even though he considered the option of asking someone for some answers earlier, Ace didn't want to now.

His pride simply wouldn't let him.

Now that he had more time to think, he could confidently say that there was no way in hell he could ask of anything from the Whitebeard Pirates. He would rather die.

"Your injuries?" the woman finished for him. "I healed the majority of them after you collapsed. But, because you fought for five days straight your body still needed the rest, which was why you've been sleeping so long."

Well, that explained his miraculous recovery. But  _why_  did she heal him? More importantly, how?

The woman must have seen the unspoken question in his eyes because she answered him. "I'm the ship's doctor, or one of them at least, and I have a motto to treat the injured, regardless of who they are," she spoke with a smile – it was still  _fake_ , Ace noticed.

"So I'm also the one responsible for healing all of your men," she concluded.

"How are they?" Ace blurted before he could stop himself. Screw his pride for this moment, his men were more important.

"They're all fine. None of them sustained any life threatening injuries or lost any limbs, and they've all been discharged from the infirmary already. In fact, you're the last of your crew to regain consciousness," she paused thoughtfully and her gaze flickered to the blonde man in a silent communication.

"Each of your men have been assigned to a member of this crew to watch out for them, yoi," he intoned quietly, "So relax."

Ace seriously doubted that he could.

"And am  _I_  assigned to someone?" he asked through gritted teeth, even though some part of him already knew the answer.

"Of course," the blonde said, an amused smile on his lips, "You've been assigned to yours truly. Name's Marco, and I'm the first mate and 1st division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Nice to meet you."

"Like hell it is!" Ace growled, starting to get angry again, "I don't need a damn babysitter."

"Jiji seems to think otherwise," the woman quipped good-naturedly, causing Ace to glare at her. She didn't seem affected by his glare and instead her smile widened – Ace noticed with slight surprise that it was still  _fake_. Why was that?

"I don't think I've ever introduced myself properly," she began sheepishly, "I'm Kagome."

 _What a strange name_ , Ace thought. Kagome. Wasn't that the name of some children's game? He'd seen Makino teaching it to Luffy and the other kids in the village a few years back. How did it go again?

"The kid seems taken by your beauty Kagome," Thatch finally spoke up with a silly grin on his face. Since Kagome had arrived, he had observed quietly in the background how Ace kept on flicking his gaze to her face. And now, it was the perfect time to speak.

"It must be love at first sight!" he announced dramatically.

Ace felt a surge of warmth to his cheeks at the statement and he was sure that his face was as red as a beetroot. Before he could even open his mouth to deny that ridiculous declaration, he heard Marco speak up.

"Seems like it, yoi." There was no mistaking the amusement he heard in the man's tone. Evil pineapple-head.

"W-wrong! I-It's not like that!" he finally stuttered, completely embarrassed.

For a brief second, he risked a glance at Kagome and saw a slight flush of red on her cheeks. "Thatch! Don't talk nonsense! And you too Marco! Don't encourage him!" she cried out hotly. The phoenix smirked.

"Oh, then what is it?" Thatch asked Ace, still grinning unrepentantly.

"I…" Ace began, with his cheeks still flaming red.

How exactly was he supposed to phrase his answer without sounding like some sentimental idiot?

"Well Ace?" Thatch pressed him on mercilessly. He wouldn't be deterred.

Ace's eyes kept flickering between Kagome and Thatch as he tried to decide. His mind practically warring with itself before finally, it made a decision.

Oh, to hell with it.

"…I keep staring because I want to know why you keep on smiling that fake smile of yours," Ace replied, looking at her. He saw her eyes widen– she was probably surprised that he could see right through her – and bluntly continued on. "If you're not going to smile for real, then don't bother smiling at all."

There, he said it.

Now that if was all said and done, it was time for them to protest how wrong his statement was. Maybe they would even take insult to his statement and fight him. Then, he would kick their butts and finally get them to take him seriously.

Ace braced himself for it and observed their reactions because without a doubt, the mood had inexplicably changed.

Thatch's amused disposition had turned nervous and his gaze kept on flickering to the remaining three of the group, but it mostly lingered on Kagome, as if he didn't know what to make of this shift in mood.

Marco's lazy demeanour had seemed to vanish and if it were possible, he didn't have that sleepy look on his face anymore. Rather, his gaze now seemed feral, as if he were a cat who looked about a hair's breathe from violently ripping the fire user's throat out.

And as for the person whom Ace's blunt statement was about in the first place…

Well, she was now staring at the sea – still looking surprised, as well as pale. Ace vindictively wondered if she had gone into shock or something, and was just about to turn away when he stopped. He had seen something flash in her blue eyes. It was just there for a second, and if he had blinked, he would have missed it entirely. But he didn't blink, and so he managed to see it.

For just a brief moment, Ace saw a pair of eyes that seemed so world-weary, so tired of living, and so like his own.

Haunted eyes.

"You know Portgas," Kagome began lightly, snapping him out of his reverie, "You're the second person I've met who's said that to me."

Ace blinked.  _Second_? Who was the first?

But before he could think any further, Kagome turned her eyes from the sea to look at him.

And Ace felt the air whoosh out of his lungs.

Kagome was smiling (and it wasn't that fake smile of hers again but a true,  _real_  smile. Though, there was also a sadness to it. Why was that?) And boy oh boy, was it a sight to behold.

"So, how about it? Do you like me 'smiling for real', as you so eloquently put it?" she asked him softly.

Ace opened his mouth, fully prepared to tell her to shove it where the sun didn't shine, but found that his voice simply wouldn't come. It was as if it was lodged in the back of his throat or something, and no matter what he did, he wasn't capable of saying it. He only succeeded in making some unintelligible noise. "…"

Damn. It. All. To. Hell.

"Well now, Kagome. I think you broke him, yoi," Marco stated with a smirk.

"Here, here. I think so too," Thatch chimed in jovially.

Kagome merely let out another small laugh, and Ace growled lowly in irritation.

"Fuck you all!" he snapped angrily, before turning away and running off. He had had enough of this shit and he was  _outta_  here.

 

* * *

 

"Ah!" Thatch cried out at his retreating form, "Aw come on Ace! Don't be like that! It was just a joke! Right guys? Nah, come on Ace!" The man in question didn't reply and continued running. Soon he turned a corner and disappeared from their view.

"Che," Thatch huffed, slightly offended, "Quite the mouthy little diva, isn't he?"

"Well, it was  _your_ fault for teasing him in the first place Thatch," Kagome replied with a roll of her eyes.

"What? It's not my fault the kid can't take a joke _,_ " he stated with a careless shrug. "And besides, you guys teased him too!"

"But you were the one that started it," Kagome retorted.

Thatch childishly stuck his tongue out at her. "Thought you were supposed to be on my side."

"Not when your side always involves trying to embarrass me."

"What? Kagome-chan I'm shocked,  _shocked,_  that you think so. In fact I—"

" _Children_. That's enough, yoi," Marco interrupted, finally putting an end to their bantering. If he didn't step in now and nip it in the roots, Thatch and Kagome would have continued arguing for a long time.

"Right then," Thatch cleared his throat, "I'd better get going. Gotta see Oyaji and let him know that our newest member is up and running."

"See you at lunch then?"

"Yup. Save me a seat!" He gave them a little wink and a wave, before walking off.

Kagome turned to Marco, and the phoenix was glad to see the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "You know, for a nanny you're not a very good one. Aren't you supposed to look after our new roommate and make sure he doesn't get into trouble?"

"Your point, yoi?"

She smiled. "Well, he's not here anymore. So what are you still standing around for?"

"I'm sure he can handle being by himself for a few minutes, yoi. He's a big boy," Marco said, before pausing. "But more importantly, are  _you_  all right?"

The phoenix had seen Kagome's expression when Portgas said those words to her. (And oh how much he'd wanted to give the boy a good kick in the head for his insensitivity then…) The woman had been reminded of her past again, though Marco didn't know why. She had recovered quickly from it enough to let out a  _real_ smile, but damn it Marco was still worried.

"Mm. I'm… all right," Kagome said slowly. "Portgas just reminded me of something I'd forgotten."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. " _Honestly, Kagome. If you are not going to smile for real, then do not bother smiling at all,_ " she quoted, her expression full of wistfulness. "That was what  _he_ said to me once a long time ago."

 _Ah._ Marco placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Wise words. But then again, he was always a wise man, yoi."

Kagome turned to face him. "Yeah… That's why I'm going to try and live up to them," she replied, a sad smile on her lips. "It's the least I can do, after everything."

"Sometimes, it's the little things we do that count, yoi." His voice was quiet. Sincere.

 _Not always,_ Kagome thought, but what she said was, "Yes. It is." She turned away from him and made her way to the railing. She rested her elbows on them and looked out at the endless stretch of blue. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle sensation of the wind blowing against her face. The waves crashed softly against the Moby Dick, rocking it in a soothing rhythm. High above, the faint cry of seagulls could be heard.

Footsteps echoed against the floorboards as Marco came to stand beside her.

"It was scary," Kagome finally admitted. "I never expected Portgas to see through me like that. And so quickly too."

"Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye," the phoenix commented, watching her profile.

She hummed in agreement. "Maybe."

A few moments of comfortable silence passed between them. "Well then, shall we get going?" Marco asked. "You have a whole line of injured men to tend to, while I have a wayward brat to find, yoi."

"I still don't think you should have let Portgas run off by himself," Kagome said, "He  _was_ kind of angry when he left."

"Eh," Marco shrugged lazily. "I'm sure he'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen, yoi?"

Of course, it was at that moment the ship was rocked by an explosion.

Kagome broke out into a wry smile. "You were saying…?"

Marco closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Don't gloat. Just go, yoi."

"Aye, aye, captain." With that said, the two of them took off in the direction of the blast. As they ran side by side down the corridor, Kagome looked over at Marco and caught his eye. She raised her brows at him in silent communication, and Marco's lips slowly twitched into a reluctant smile. He nodded.

It was agreed. Life as they knew it, would never be the same again.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the FINAL chapter of PART ONE. *throws confetti*
> 
> I hope I didn't leave anyone with too many unanswered questions. But I guess the main question would be 'Who is this him that Kagome keeps talking about?' Well, I'm not going to just reveal his name like that. No, that would be too easy. But I will tell you this.
> 
> Me, being the sneaky author that I am, have actually hidden a sort of Easter Egg in this story. If you can find it, you'll discover the identity of Kagome's him! Now, I'm not that cruel to make you look through the whole story, so I'll give you a little clue. Try looking through the chapter titles of the story. There's a puzzle to be solved there... :)
> 
> Last thing to note. I don't know when PART TWO is going to come out, because I'm still plotting everything. It could take a few months or maybe even a year before I update again. I don't know. It all depends on the muse.
> 
> So that's it! Please drop me a comment or a kudos if you've enjoyed reading it as much as I had writing it! Cheers!


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